Petrichor
by hanako-kun
Summary: She wanted to find purpose and direction, so she joined the Scouting Legion. To find her place in life, she wanted more than anything else. She just never imagined it to be beside humanity's greatest soldier. Levi/OC
1. Chapter 1: Fall Apart But Into Place!

A little girl with wavy, sandy brown hair glanced up at the door as her father was just coming in. "Hello, papa." She greeted cheerily, flipping her book shut and coming to hug his legs. He smelt like he always did—except with a hint of dirt on the side. His clothes looked beat up and she looked into his eyes concernedly. He was looking at everything except her, which silently confused the little girl.

"Honora, allow me this time to have some rest…" She understood that tone. She nodded quickly, taking her book and leaving the house.

She wandered the moderately sized grounds of her family's property. The Ashe household lived inside Wall Rose, in one of the more pleasant districts nearer to Wall Sina. This was where the standard of living was far better compared to most of the people living within the walls. Honora was well aware that her family was better off than most, living a quiet life in a small village full of people whose lifestyles were just like her family. She sat down under the shade of the tree and began to read.

Except, she could do anything but read. She left the book open on her lap as she surveyed her surroundings.

Everything was idyllic. She observed the vast field of green that surrounded her family's cozy, two-story cottage. She had to admit-she pushed back her glasses-the perks of her father's position in the Royal Court made her life so…easy.

She glanced at the book in her hands, another thing that was a product of her privileged station in the hierarchical life inside the walls. Books like the one she read in her hands were hard to come by and she sighed. She closed her eyes for a bit, forgetting the fact that her father couldn't even make eye contact with her that afternoon when he always greeted her with a hug.

A few minutes of this quiet meditation and Honora opened her eyes. The sound of distant laughter could be heard and she looked at the direction where it came from, a small group of children her age were playing. She sighed and mumbled to herself, choosing to ignore them. She concentrated on reading the open book on her lap once more.

Year 842

Honora, now 20, turned to enter the office. In her hands were the products of years of research. Her father had passed away a few years earlier, but she knew that he would be proud of what she had become. A top-notch medic and researcher for the military, all within the span of three years. She smirked to herself. She was only twenty but it felt like she'd been working all her life.

.

She stepped out of the office hours later, files gone, fists clenched. _They took it. They—they just took it. _She wanted to cry. She slid down the door, holding her knees tight to herself. Never before had she the urge to cry so badly. _They took it. And what did they say? Nothing. I bet they're going to burn it._

They ridiculed her. "It isn't necessary." Of _course_. All because they were "safe" within the protection of their precious walls. Those wallists that were present during the meeting had been the most vocal in their critical reception of her research—saying it was offensive to them that she'd even conceive of such a stupid idea. The commanding officers of the military had said they'd "consider" it, but she knew very well they'd scrap it. She could see it. They all thought they were _safe _inside the goddamn walls. They didn't need medical-tactical researches that could save the lives of people when there weren't any people that needed saving, right?

When she'd think of it, even her colleagues at HQ didn't work because they believed in the same thing. No wonder it always seemed like she was the only person ever working whenever she went there. They usually lounged in their offices drinking wine, smoking and playing cards. And those _pigs _got paid good money for it.

Was she wrong to think she was worth something even after her father died?

She ripped her glasses from her face, letting the tears fall. It became too hard to even hold them in. "Bastards." She muttered to herself in between a few silent sobs. She clenched and unclenched her fist, having the sudden urge to punch something.

She stood up and swung a forceful punch at a stone column. The column obviously went unharmed, but her knuckles bled. She didn't bother wiping off the blood though, she could care less right then. _Useless. Utter waste of resources, we have the walls to protect us. _Honora nearly growled to herself. "Stupid _**bastards**_."

There were footsteps behind her and Honora quickly wiped her tear stained face, hiding her bloody hand behind her. She turned to face whoever was coming her way. There were two of them. One tall and one laughably short. She would've laughed weren't it for military uniforms they wore. She hastily donned her glasses.

She scanned their faces as they came to a stop before her; she quickly recognized them to be part of those people who had attended her little session. The two had held indifferent faces to what she'd presented, she recalled clearly. The shorter one had a bored look on his face all the while, but at least the taller one had looked mildly interested when she'd said she could reduce casualties using her research. _What do they want? _

"Miss Ashe." It was the taller, blond man with icy blue eyes. His tone was warm, but she would've hissed at him regardless. She pushed back a stray lock of her sandy brown hair and addressed them.

"Yes?" Honora asked attentively as she stared at them with her neutral gray eyes. The shorter man looked really, really bored, and it bugged her out of her mind more than anything. _Glad to know my research isn't the only thing that bores you. _

The blond man stepped forward, a full head taller than her. She looked up at him, ignoring the other man who seemed to be more interested in the scenery than their conversation. "I'm sorry, sir, but I'm not entirely sure who you are." _I never was good at memorizing the names of assholes anyway._

He held out his hand. "Major Erwin Smith of the Scouting Legion." Something told her she should be impressed a man from the only military division to make it out the walls and back was talking to her, but she remained impassive. She took his hand and gave it a slight shake, finding his grip firm. "An honor." She mumbled.

She stared blankly at him as she let her hand rest at her side. "You're the daughter of Neil Ashe, the former royal physician, correct?"

Honora scowled but nodded reluctantly. _Does anybody know me beyond being Neil Ashe's daughter, anyway?_ Why was he here? The man looked at her seriously. "While the men inside that room may claim that your research is useless to them, my commanding officer would beg to differ."

She looked at him, startled. She furrowed her brow. _Of course he would. The Scouting Legion always comes back with fewer men every year no matter how many recruits they get each year, all because of their dangerous expeditions outside the walls. _She easily realized that the commander—or any high ranking officer of the Scouting Legion would really be interested. But why hadn't he said anything during the meeting?

"I know what you're thinking, why we didn't say anything." Honora looked him in the eye. There was a certain twinkle in his eye, like he knew he'd just come across something extremely useful.

And her research _was_ useful. To the Scouting Legion, at least. But he could've just taken the files they took from her earlier—why would he be talking to her?

"But the only thing I would like to say is this," There was a hint of a smile on his face as he regarded her. "The commander thinks you would make a valuable addition to the Scouting Legion."

Honora took a step back. Her? Become a soldier? _What is this guy, crazy? I'm not going to…Oh, is he actually serious? _The slightly calculating look in his eye as he took in her reaction told her she was correct. "That way, the Legion could work together with you and utilize that research of yours."

He had a knowing look when he stepped back and smiled enigmatically. "The Legion has much to look forward to with you in its ranks."

She shook her head, baffled. She said nothing as she watched him walk away with calm and practiced steps.

"You shouldn't make a habit of that." Honora turned on her heel to find that short man from before; he was only a few centimeters taller than her, apparently. His face was stoic as ever, but his disgusted eyes were trained on her bloody fist.

She glared at him. _What's it to you, shorty? _"What, punching walls?" She bit back, lightly annoyed. She observed him—his short, cropped jet black hair, his thin brows, his sharp blue eyes, the grave line his lips always formed. This was the face of one extremely skilled soldier, judging by how he reacted to everything. Nothing seemed to impress him. That or he was just one arrogant prick.

She had a feeling it was a little of both.

He said nothing, only stared at her face. Before she knew what was going on, he pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose—she hadn't even noticed she'd been wearing them slanted the whole time. She blushed slightly. "You should do as Erwin says." He said simply, a tone of exasperation mingling with his bored voice.

_The day I'll take orders from you is the day the titans sprout wings. _Honora looked away, ashamed by her pink-tinged cheeks. "That depends on me, doesn't it?"

He turned to walk away slowly. "Actually, it depends more on your humanity. You and your research are important to the development of a new tactic that the Scouting Legion desperately needs in order to save lives during expeditions."

She grit her teeth. How could she forget? He'd basically said that they'd needed her and her research to save the lives of people. People who risked their lives going in and out of the safety of the walls, gathering more information about the titans than the other two military divisions combined. How could she have been so petty, thinking only about herself?

He stated in a drab tone, "Besides, your medical expertise would come in use on missions outside the walls. The Legion _is _in need of a competent medic after all…If you make it, anyway." And he was gone.

That was all she needed to convince herself. The Scouting Legion needed her. She turned away and started the walk back to her house, more resolve in her step than ever before. _So this was their plan in approaching me. To convince me to join their suicidal division. _

Hours later, Honora smirked to herself as she tightened the straps of her bag. She put on a pair of old boots that were originally her father's. He would've accepted her decision. After all, it was for the good of humanity.

She closed the door to her house. She'd lived alone in it all these years despite the fact that her father died. She did a little jog in place as she prepped herself for another long walk to the nearest recruitment center. She honestly thought she'd make a fairly good soldier—even make top 10 if she tried hard.

She'd prove that shorty wrong and help humanity to the best of her extent if that'd be the last thing she'd ever do. _I'll make it. I'll top the whole damn batch if it'll prove my worth. I promise._

.

Alright so let's clear a few things up.

This is set 3 years before Erwin officially takes command of the legion, hence his 'major' title. Levi is already in the legion, though not notable enough to be called humanity's best soldier just yet.

Honora's father, Neil Ashe, died when Honora was 18. She is left their house inside Wall Rose, living there for two years.

Honora at 17, goes into civil service by becoming one of the people who conduct researches commissioned by the government—something that would've come in handy 100 years ago (that would be year 742 or so) when the humans were still building the settlement, but has no use in modern terms (year 842 onwards) because the walls have already been built.

Practically, the government has no need for these researchers but they still pay them big bucks for doing nothing. The government has _not _commissioned any researches in recent years.

The research Honora presented in this chapter is something she had chosen to do **voluntarily** (More information about this later).

It's pronounced 'o-no-rah'. But imagining Levi's seiyu saying it with the whole Japanese thing going on, I think it'll sound more like 'on-no-ra'. I dunno if you guys get the difference, but yeah. =P

Honorah's still a little hasty in her decisions, but what can you expect when she desperately wants to prove herself, eh?

***Don't believe some of the words that come out of Erwin's mouth just yet. =D Please review and tell me what you think! Time skip up next with Levi & Erwin in it again. Haha.


	2. Chapter 2: We Meet Again!

Honora could have killed the man right then and there.

"And who the hell are you!?" Instructor Shadis boomed and she steeled herself. She straightened herself up, lifting her chin as high in the air as she could.

"Honora Ashe, sir! I'm from the northern Wall Rose village of Cyril, sir!" She pounded her fist over her heart, pulling the best disciplined expression she could.

The bald man seemed satisfied and moved on to the next unfortunate soul. Honora could've sighed in relief. Having men scream in your face was _not_ pleasant, especially when his breath reeked of fried potatoes.

She'd been in training camp for a total of one week. Her body could not take the physical exercises they'd done so far as well as she'd hoped, and she promised herself she'd push herself harder. It wasn't a deathly horrible experience preparing to join the military, but she would learn to brave it—beat it, if she wanted to meet Erwin Smith and that short man from before ever again.

_I'm going to make it. I'll top this training, just watch. _

The man next to her, Sosuke Rhodes—a half-blood from another Wall Rose district, as she learned, leaned close to her. His shiny black hair near touched her shoulder as he whispered with a smile on his lips, "This just keeps on getting better and better eh, Honora?"

Honora would never believe it herself, but he'd been with her ever since they'd met a week before, when all new recruits had arrived at Training Camp.

.

"_Aren't you the royal physician's daughter?" _He asked nonchalantly while they were eating dinner at the mess hall. He'd chosen to sit beside her that day, for some unknown reason, but Honora could have swung a fist at his pretty face. She glared at him.

"_What's it to you, pretty boy?" _She taunted haughtily, glaring straight up at his taller form. Sosuke had a tall, slim build, angular features, hooded blue eyes and jaw-length black hair. She would have mistaken him for a girl weren't it for his obviously male voice.

He patted her head, saying "_Nothing."_ She scowled, but he smiled back. She went to leave but to her disdain, he followed wherever she went. He talked while she settled her things on her bed and when she'd asked when he would leave, he just shook his head and said, "_You're not getting rid of me that easily."_

He seemed to have forgiven her for the "pretty boy" remark though Honora never had any intention of apologizing in the first place. The next day, as she'd been eating her breakfast, he'd sat next to her again.

She said nothing as she watched him tear his bread and offer half to her. She shook her head and he started eating. He seemed comfortable with a person he'd not only been insulted by but also barely knew and she asked him, _"Why are you here?" _

He looked at her incredulously. _"I thought we're already over that." _Honora frowned.

"_No, I'm asking _why_ you're here." _He shrugged. She looked away, finding his vague verbal responses irritating and he could've grinned when she did this. _"I'm Sosuke Rhodes, by the way." _

Honora pursed her lips. _"Honora Ashe." _She felt something in her hand, and she found it was the half loaf he'd offered her earlier. _"I don't—" _

"_Eat it." _He said simply, but he looked up from his soup bowl and grinned at her. _"You and I are going to need the energy to survive this day. You barely touched your food, so eat up." _

Honora looked at him, surprised. She was caught off guard by what he'd said, but she couldn't thank him enough inside her mind for telling her this.

She'd realized that she'd _really_ need to eat all the food she could if she wanted to top that day's exercises. She smirked to ate the loaf and went on to finish her breakfast, unintentionally following what he'd just said.

He took this as a good sign and continued eating.

Even after that day, Sosuke had unexpectedly stuck to her side every time he could when they trained. She never reacted when he did this, though she did wonder why he would stick around her when the other recruits would ignore her. They did everything together and some part of Honora was grateful she never had to spend meals or assemblies alone ever again.

Year 845

When the day of the final exams came, the batch was grouped so the exams could be taken in squads of 10. It didn't surprise her when she found out she'd been grouped together with Rhodes.

"Good morning, Honora." She looked up to see Sosuke already in his uniform. She nodded at him—their relationship had become surprisingly warmer over the years. _Better Sosuke than nobody, _she silently chuckled to herself. Training had been a pain in the ass the past three years but he'd managed to make it somewhat bearable.

"Ready for today's exams?" He asked amusedly. Honora stood and gave him a small smirk.

"You bet I am." Sosuke shook his head and grinned crookedly at his friend; if anyone could pass those exams, it would be Honora.

.

Keith Shadis felt confident about that year's recruits. He would go so far as to say the batch held as much potential as any other year's recruits. If it was any less he would've been worried, but thankfully their performance had been alright. He readied himself as figures approached him at a speed he knew was only possessed by two people in the entire batch.

He recognized them immediately—Honora Ashe and Sosuke Rhodes, the unstoppable yet unlikely duo that topped that year's recruits and Shadis damn near smirked to himself.

If the future 101st Trainees Squad held any distinguishing feature that set them apart from any other trainees squad, it would be those inseparable two.

He would've smiled had he been a softer man. He witnessed Sosuke Rhodes ruthlessly swing his blades to get one clean, deep swipe at what would've been a titan's nape; Sosuke had outstanding abilities both physically and mentally. The only thing he lacked was initiative. Shadis scribbled his scores as Sosuke called behind him—the instructor turned to look at whatever it was he had been grinning at.

Dashing right after Sosuke was Honora Ashe, a surprising turnout if he'd ever known one. She navigated the trees with ease, speedily and precisely hitting targets as she swung past them. He'd expected her top-class performance in academic subjects, but the way she threw herself into perfecting her physical subjects, particularly her 3DM skills, was near inspiring.

Once all of the groups had finished the exams, which was around the hours of sunset, the sky began to yellow. Puffy clouds of a grayish white sailed the sky and Honora could've sworn the day couldn't have ended better.

She walked up to the porch of her housing unit in her casual clothes. She gazed out at the land, the horizon being blocked by Wall Maria. Sosuke came to stand by her, dressed similarly. He grinned at the sky. "Think we aced the test?"

She smirked. "I'm not sure." _It's best not to get too cocky. _He chuckled.

"Don't be modest. You know we did." She said nothing. She knew she did better than most of her batch mates that day, since almost all of them preferred to take being a soldier lightly.

Everything was peaceful for a moment and the wind seemed to still. Honora sighed to herself and focused her eyes on the yellowing sky, hopeful that she'd graduate at the top of her batch—

There was one extremely loud _**crack**_ and a flash of orange lightning far behind Wall Rose caught her attention. _O-orange? _As fast as the bolt of lightning came, a tremor immediately followed. She impulsively gripped a wooden column to keep herself from stumbling.

She slowly turned to look at Sosuke. His horrified, ocean blue eyes were wide, staring straight at something in the distance and she turned her head to whatever it was he was staring at.

_A __**titan**__. A __**titan**__ taller than the walls—_

There was another tremor and Honora dug her fingers into the wood. Something. Something was happening but she couldn't see. All she could see was the head of one colossal titan. There were succeeding tremors, but they were faint compared to the first. Yet she already knew what it meant.

_Footsteps. Heavy footsteps created by heavy bodies…titans…more titans inside the walls. _She took a step back, convincing herself of the situation. She glanced at where the she saw the impossibly huge titan before, but it was gone. She quickly scanned the walls, but it was _gone_.

_Where…did it go? _Judging by how there weren't any more tremors with a magnitude even remotely near as the first, it had already disappeared. Honora closed her eyes. _They thought they were safe. They __**thought**__ they were safe. _

She retreated back inside, choosing to sit on her bed. She screwed her eyes shut, not even trying to process what would happen if there were titans inside Wall Maria. Instead, she focused on what she was taught about them.

Her silent contemplation got her nowhere.

_There's so little we know about them. So goddamn little. Which is why the Scouting Legion is important. _She knew that they were unpopular among the people because of their high mortality rates and bare success. They thought they were a waste of taxes. A waste of human lives.

"…_thinks you would make a valuable addition to the Scouting Legion…" _

But she believed in them more than anything. If there were any elite titan killers, they would be the Scouting Legion. If there was anyone who even tasted what it was like to battle a titan at all, they would be the Scouting Legion. They were humanity's only boon against the war with the titans if all the walls were breached—she believed in them because of this.

"…_has much to look forward to with you in its ranks."_

And also because they believed in her.

She removed her glasses and held her face in her hands, ignoring the exclamations of her fellow recruits.

"_What are we gonna do!?" _

"_They say most of the Stationary Guard abandoned their posts…" _

"_Oh shit, the inner district's the safest, right!? Why aren't they moving us there!?" _

"_They're moving them to inside Wall Rose! What if the titans get in with them!?" _

"_The Military Police has left the civilians! It's chaos everywhere-!"_

Honora calmed herself, regulating her breathing. She held her hand over her eyes and took one final deep breath. She donned her glasses once more, intent on calming her batch mates down.

.

"Graduating at the top of the 101st Trainees Squad is Honora Ashe!"

Erwin Smith watched the familiar, bespectacled recruit take her place on the concrete steps. Her wavy hair had grown longer and her face seemed more stoic than ever—he wasn't surprised in the least that she'd topped her batch. Erwin knew she had it in her from the start. He was more than pleased that she'd decided to go through with his advice and join the military, now all he hoped was that she would request to join the Scouting Legion soon.

He watched the rest of the top ten graduates take their place beside her. He gauged which one of them would be able to withstand being in the Scouting Legion; knowing all the while that most of those faces would only opt for a safer position within Wall Sina as part of the Military Police.

He bowed his head and stepped back within the shadows, seeing Levi standing against the concrete wall. He remained wordless as he retreated to deeper inside the alleyway, not surprised in the least that Levi's normally bored eyes would be trained attentively on Honora.

.

"You're joining the Scouting Legion!?" _How many times have they asked this? _Honora could have growled in frustration as she calmly stared at her batch mate. "That's suicidal!"

It was causing a scene within the top 10 graduates ever since they'd chosen to talk amongst themselves earlier. She looked at Sosuke who was standing right by her—he'd graduated top 2, not a surprise there—and even heseemed concerned. "Not you too, Sosuke…" She mumbled, exasperated.

He put a hand on her shoulder. "It's true, Honora. Most people who join the Scouting Legion never come back, you know."

She looked at Sosuke seriously. "That may be true but—"

Someone piped in, "Look, why don't you join the Military Police like we chose to do?" She motioned to the majority of the top 10.

Honora stared contemptuously at the rest of her batch mates. She said indifferently, "No. I am never joining the Police force. I don't want to be _useless_."

Their looks turned pitiful—a silent recognition of the fact that they _would_ be useless joining the Military Police—and she couldn't stand it. _Why don't they want to help the Scouting Legion? _Honora shook her head. "You don't understand. I have personal motivations." _Unlike the rest of you. _She withdrew from the group and made to leave the meaningless party.

She was glad that three years of blood, sweat and tears paid off with a top 1 ranking. She was more than proud of herself, but they just ruined it. Who were they to question her decision? At least she was going to be _useful_ by joining the Legion.

.

Honora stood proudly, arms tensely held behind her back. Her eyes were trained on the man speaking on the elevated platform, a man she recognized from three years ago.

Erwin Smith. Commander Erwin Smith. _We finally meet again. _

His face was as grave as ever as he addressed the other recruits—she was silently surprised at how many of her faint-hearted batch mates had decided to follow in her footsteps and request to join the Scouting Legion. There was 32 of them all in all, 31 people more than she'd expected. Sosuke even stood by her, a smile on his face, but she knew he was terrified beyond measure.

In all truth she was just as terrified. But she still believed in herself and the Scouting Legion. If she had the guts to join this suicidal division in the first place she might as well have the guts to face a titan every day. She had the skill and the bravery—she knew it.

"Can you die if you're ordered to?"

Honora poured her heart into one courageous response. "Yes sir!" There was a smile on the commander's face and his eyes flickered briefly to her form.

"I see." He bowed his head briefly, and when he stared back at them, his expression had changed into that of pride; pride for the division he commanded. "Then I welcome everyone here to the Scouting Legion!"

He saluted them. "This is a true salute! Offer up your hearts!"

She pounded a fist over her heart with more conviction than ever.

.

As the rest of the newly inducted Legionnaires moved to leave for the Scouting Legion's barracks, Honora had been stopped from doing so. She looked back at whoever it was who had called her, instantly recognizing the shorty she'd met three years earlier. She glanced at Sosuke, "I'll follow later." With a nod, he left.

To her chagrin, he was still taller than her by a few centimeters. He looked the same as she'd seen him years ago, same cropped black hair, same thin brows, same unimpressed face, and same sharp blue eyes. She had learned his actual name was Levi, a lance corporal within the Scouting Legion. She'd heard the numerous rumors about him.

And those rumors awed her. To think she'd been calling one of humanity's most powerful soldiers a shorty this whole time. It would've made her laugh.

Honora made sure to readjust her glasses before saluting—she did not want to blush in front of him if he'd ever push them back for her again like last time. "Sir!"

He stared at her just like he used to, but there was an actual hint of recognition in his eyes as he assessed her. He glanced at her glasses, perched perfectly on the bridge of her nose. She smirked, glad she'd foreseen that.

"Erwin wants to see you. Follow me." She sighed as he silently lead her to the commander's office, her legs aching. She'd been standing all day while in wait for the induction ceremony to begin after all.

They finally entered the commander's office and Levi came to stand by one of the bookshelves, leaning on it flippantly. Erwin was seated behind a desk.

Honora once again saluted. "Sir!" Erwin wove his fingers together and stared at her, a stoic expression on his face.

"At ease." She dropped the stance, a monotone expression on her face. "I apologize if this is too soon, but this is a matter of importance I can't afford to push back any further."

She shook her head. "I understand." She said simply. She was too tired to properly protest anyway. Her eyes settled on the wood beneath her boots. "When will we begin working?"

There was a scrape on wood and Honora glanced up, not expecting to see her commanding officer right in front of her. She straightened herself up immediately.

_If there's anyone I'd ever look up to…literally and figuratively that is, that'd be Commander Erwin. _His icy blue eyes seemed minutely amused. "A great deal of lives hinges on what you have to say, but I'd like for you to start tomorrow. I can see you're tired."

She breathed a sigh of relief. _I still have time to sleep at least. _"Thank you, sir."

"You will be working with me and Major Hanji Zoe. Our primary objective is to develop a new scouting formation during expeditions that will reduce casualties. If what you've said three years ago is true, then I believe you will be important to this endeavor." He stared at her expectantly and all Honora could do was give a stiff nod under the scrutiny of both Levi and Erwin put together.

"Any questions?" She shook her head. "No, sir." A brief moment of silence passed and all of a sudden Erwin smiled at her.

"I look forward to working with you, Honora." Her eyes visibly widened. She managed to smile back after her brain had tried to process what kind of response she could use. She nodded, weakly, this time. "I as well, sir."

"Dismissed." Honora had never been more pleased to hear those words in her life.

Once she was outside earshot, Erwin went to stand by his window, observing the Scouting Legion's barracks. Honora's hastily returning figure could be seen passing through there a few minutes later. The commander sat down on his chair, shuffling through papers.

"She's going to help you tomorrow?" Levi's tone of derision made Erwin smirk as he read the file in his hand.

"Excels in all subjects. Medical know-how exceedingly above average. Remarks: highly recommended for employment as a medic. Highly recommended for 3D maneuver gear skill-oriented squad positions. Recommended for employment in tactical advancement." Erwin looked at the bored-looking man leaning on his bookshelf and smiled. "Admit it. She's more competent than you'd thought she'd be."

The Lance Corporal gave a small 'tch'. "We'll see about that."

.

Heh-heh. =P And thus, Honora is now a Legionnaire.

Watch out for Sosuke, he'll be in this fic a lot. =D

Erwin has only very recently taken command, and is very eager to introduce some changes in the Legion's system. The previous commander, in this fic at least, basically sucks a lot and Erwin has to make a lot of changes within a short amount of time to make up for his incompetence. Levi doubts Honora's capabilities.

So let's show him a bit of Honora power in the next chapter, shall we!?

What d'you think? Please review!


	3. Chapter 3: Redeem Myself!

Tadaima~

Yes, my updates shall be weekly. I don't know if I can update tomorrow, but one thing I can guarantee is that there'll be an update next week, as I've said.

Enjoy. =P

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The next day proved to be no let-up, however tired Honora may have been. She near dragged herself to the Scouting Legion's grounds with heavy limbs after realizing she'd slept in and had to rush to get to assembly on time. When she did, however, she was more than prepared to half-ass every single selection test they were to throw at her—it didn't matter much what squad she'd be put under right then. Her mind was still a haze due to last night's activities.

_Maybe I shouldn't have done that. _Yet she stood as straight as she could despite her drooping eyelids. Her fist was still slightly off to the right when someone had called "Attention!"

She could see Sosuke glancing nervously at her through the corner of his eyes, and she immediately knew something was wrong.

"Honora Ashe." And lightning had evidently struck. Her posture stiffened and her lips pursed. She would've cringed if she could; the only thing stopping her from doing so was her dignity_. _She could've recognized that bored, dull, drab, but intensely annoyed tone anywhere.

_Of all the commanding officers…it had to be…_

Honora took one calming breath. "Captain Levi."

Her fellow recruits might've found it funny, but Sosuke secretly worried for her. He could clearly see the way she'd instantly paled when the lance corporal pronounced her name.

She stared into his less than impressed blue eyes, hating the way his indifferent gaze sent shivers up her spine and instantly woke her up. He wasn't wearing his green cloak and it showed off his well-trained body. Honora had to stop herself from looking at his legs—he could probably kick as hard as a freaking _horse _with those things.

Levi narrowed his eyes at her disheveled appearance. Her uniform was obviously hastily donned; her hair wavy locks hadn't been brushed all too well. Even her glasses hung imbalanced on her nose. He gazed at Honora intently and soon he could pronounce the purple rings that lined her eyes.

For some unknown reason, she had obviously skipped out on sleep last night.

He turned away from her gray-colored stare. "Come with me." He didn't bother pausing for her response; if he put together all the times he'd encountered her, he definitely knew she wasn't one to challenge orders.

He whisked her from that morning's assembly under Erwin's request. Puzzled stares followed them as they made their way to Erwin's office yet again. She was silent throughout the whole trip, trying not to contemplate what her commander would think when he'd see her unkempt state. When they arrived at the door however, she was surprised to find that Levi had halted.

His expression was irritated and uninterested at the same time, and Honora kept hers as emotionless as possible. _What a bad time to have no sleep…_

"You're filthy." He hissed. For the second time in her life, he pushed the glasses on her nose straight. "Clean yourself up." She found herself blushing intensely, coloring a bright red. Embarrassed by him _again_, she tried to compose herself as quick as possible, combing near-frantic hands through her sandy locks. She patted down her uniform, straightening out wrinkles. She looked at him with caution in her eyes when she'd finished.

He nodded wordlessly as if saying with his annoyed stare: _Learn to clean yourself up before facing your superiors, idiot,_ before turning and leaving her alone in the hallway.

She was still vibrantly colored when she entered Erwin's office. Who knew he was such a neat freak? "Sir!"

Erwin glanced at her and made no note of her flustered appearance. "At ease, Honora." He put down the papers he'd been reading. He gestured to Hanji, who was studying the girl curiously with a smile. "This is Major Hanji Zoe."

Honora nodded at the red-haired woman. For some reason, she looked awfully familiar. She tried to place her face, though the past three years had been quite eventful—she could barely remember who she was after it. But at least Hanji certainly seemed friendly compared to Levi.

Of course. Naturally, not all of her commanding officers would be as…obsessive-compulsive as him.

Surprisingly, Hanji extended a hand at her. "You're just as brilliant as your father, Honora Ashe. I've gotta say!" She tried to remember when exactly she'd seen her, but her mind kept drawing a blank. She put on an uncertain smile. "Thank you, ma'am." _Why do I feel like I know her?_

There was a dangerous glint in the woman's glasses as she immediately grasped her shoulder with a vice-like grip. It might as well have drawn blood when there were painful, talon-like fingernails digging in her skin. "I'm excited about all the things we'll do together!"

She instantly recognized the fanatic tone of voice. She was the "crazy" titan researcher that was also part of the government-funded research organization she'd once been a part of. Though she recalled that Hanji'd quit just a month after she joined, saying a lot of things that sounded like what Honora had said when she herself left.

Honora could remember it like yesterday; the way she'd screamed at the superior's terrified face. With a smug smirk, she waltzed out the door; the puzzled stares of her colleagues _and_ even Honora's stare trailing after her like they witnessed the ramblings of a madwoman.

_She'd probably done that to run off and join the military. _Honora wanted to smile. She and Hanji had more in common than she'd originally thought—they'd both been researchers until they'd decided to give it all up and join the Scouting Legion.

And it was hard to say she regretted the decision so far. Compared to her old life, her life then felt much more _filled_. It was better compared to sitting around on a desk all day while coworkers slacked off.

Not that risking her life to face the titans directly was any better. But if she died, she'd at least know it was for a purpose.

Honora felt herself perking up slightly at the thought…as tired as she was.

.

The morning had been spent on trying to make a new formation for expeditions, one that would make passage through titan inhabited land easier to survey. Since part of the Scouting Legion's job was to gather information about the titans to be brought back and analyzed, they had to devise a way that could avoid titans and decrease the number of casualties every time they went on an expedition.

Most of the talk had been done by Hanji as both she and Honora peered over and explained stacks of accumulated knowledge contributed by their time in the research organization—apparently, Hanji had stopped by former HQ and subsequently picked up all the work they'd done through the years (the remaining researchers hadn't even bothered to throw them out).

Yet considering Honora had only been there for three years, she had relatively little to add to the discussion. And it almost made her question whether or not Erwin's claim that she would be a "valuable addition" was true…but she'd stopped that train of thought and focused on something else.

In that process, she'd observed Hanji probably more intensely than socially acceptable. It slightly fascinated Honora how passionate Hanji was when talking about the titans, and she idly wondered if she'd turn just like her if she stuck around the Scouting Legion long enough. It was a…intriguing thought to entertain, at the very least.

Though when it got to the part where Erwin had asked Honora for her input about the formation of the medic squad during excursions, the grey-eyed recruit couldn't help but be slightly more forceful in her tone than before. If she had nothing to say when Hanji talked about the titans, at least Honora could talk about the medics, no matter how insignificant it seemed to everyone else.

It evidently pleased the commander that she took the state of the medical care of the Scouting Legion seriously and Honora couldn't help but feel a slight twinge of pride when he said so. If she had doubts about her usefulness before—they were smashed to pieces then.

By lunch, they'd already come up with a rough draft of their new formation. It was called the Long Range Scouting Formation, a tactic largely dependent on information about the titans Hanji and Honora had gathered through the research organization.

Normal titans would be no problem to the Scouting Legion with it and could be easily avoided with the use of the signal flares. The ones that weren't normal however, the "aberrants" as Hanji and Honora both dubbed them, were the ones which posed the biggest threat.

It was decided that Erwin would iron out the finer details, including necessary ambush tactics, later.

The commander looked at Honora with a slight smile on his face. She could tell he was partly relieved that they'd come up with something—as a newly promoted commander, he'd been wanting to quickly introduce new methods that'd save more lives and bolster support for the Legion, and morale and progress within its soldiers.

The sandy-haired girl had to admit, it was heart-warming to see her commanding officer care so much about the Scouting Legion. "You are dismissed, Honora." She gave him an earnest salute before leaving.

The day, however, had not yet ended. After grabbing lunch with Sosuke at the mess hall, they held selection tests for the new recruits—something that couldn't be done in the morning, after it was revealed that the squad leaders had had a meeting and had then been pushed to the afternoon. Honora wasn't excited in the slightest, but she decided to take it as seriously as she could.

If anything, she wanted to prove to a certain corporal that she wasn't just another "filthy" recruit. She'd heard about the squad he lead, the one that composed onlyof the top-tier recruits. It was then that she realized she desperately wanted to impress him and make his squad.

After having him push her glasses up for her _twice_, she felt that she just needed to.

.

The lance corporal scanned the eager faces of that year's recruits with a bored expression. Every year they seemed promising. He wondered how many of them would piss their pants the first chance they got when they were on an expedition.

He had no expectations for most of them, only that they damn well better be useful. His eyes slid to one girl in particular.

Honora Ashe held her stance with a hardened look on her face. For once, she didn't look filthy with her hair tied back and her glasses straight. She'd definitely grown from the sobbing mess he'd first encountered three years ago.

Oh yes, Levi remembered her. If he had any expectations, they would be for _her_. "Group yourselves into teams of four! We're going to the forest. Now."

Honora followed the recruits into the entrance of a forest of oversized trees. She guessed they were taking the practical tests first—she'd heard about them while she was still a cadet.

The group stopped in the middle of the trail, surrounded by the towering green trees. They had to be at least 50 meters tall; the perfect environment for the 3D maneuver gear. This test was going to be relatively easy compared to other practical tests—Honora remembered hearing about other tests that included having to combat titans in _flat_ terrain as well, after all.

"Group up." The short corporal said once again, with a dangerously annoyed undertone. If the recruits hesitated before, now they scrambled to get decent teammates.

Honora looked around for Sosuke. _That makes two. Now I only need to find another pair of idiots ready to group with us…_

It turned out she didn't have to as she approached her raven-haired friend. He was already standing with two other guys she recognized easily.

"Heya Honora. Remember these two?" Sosuke greeted jovially as he waved to the two men standing behind him. One was Luke Cis, rank 8 during their graduation; he had raven hair with bangs framing his face and had warm brown eyes. The other was Lang Shun, with his slicked back bright red hair and gosh-you're-handsome green eyes, who had ranked 3rd.

Honora wasn't in the least bit surprised that they'd ended up with high-ranking teammates. Sosuke wanted to "dominate the competition!" as he so admirably put during their shop talk eating lunch (she'd smiled at his enthusiastic behavior). If anything was surprising, it was that Luke and Lang actually agreed to be on their team.

They were originally uninspired _blockheads_ during training. Despite their talent, they were sold on joining the Military Police force last time she remembered.

"Yo, Honora~" She looked up at Lang—he was freakishly huge at 6 foot 1—she stared uninterestedly at his emerald green eyes. Though somewhere in the back of her thoughts wondered why he chose to join the Scouting Legion. "'Lo, Lang." He didn't seem too bothered that they were teammates.

"Um, Honora..." She transferred her gaze to Luke, who looked embarrassed. She elegantly arched a brow at his nervous face. "We heard your speech during the graduation party. And we, uh, decided you were right. We want to make it up to you by being your teammates."

Sosuke gave them both slaps on the back and Honora shrugged, though not without a small smile on her face. "Good to know."

Luke looked like he wanted to say something more, but he'd been cut short by Levi, giving the basic rules and instructions for the test.

It was fairly simple alright; it was similar to the last test they'd taken during training—targets were scattered around the forest with ranked flags attached to them. Teams were to strategically attack the target's nape then take the flag. Teams would be, of course, monitored by commanding officers during the test and would be judged by their performance and the amount of flags they emerge with at the end of an hour.

The team immediately did a small meeting as they planned their route. They would first go north, until they reached the edge of the forest, taking down as many targets and flags as they can, before turning and making a circular search of the forest, going inwards as they went. That would mean that at the end of the test they would be back at the middle of the forest—where they first started.

Commanding officers were then assigned to monitor the groups. Imagine Honora's non-existent surprise when Levi came to stand before the four high-ranking recruits. Luke seemed terrified, but Lang and Sosuke were thrilled.

"Oi," He addressed them in an obviously I-don't-care-what-you-do-so-long-as-you-don't-chea t-otherwise-I'll-knee-you-in-the-face tone. Team Fight (Lang called it that and the others went along with it) immediately stopped their strategizing and turned to face the corporal.

He said nothing but nodded as a shot shortly went off, signaling the start of the test. The four team members glanced at each other, exchanges of silent bids of "don't screw up, dammit". They nodded and were off to their singular, agreed direction.

Levi had to admit, their cohesiveness as a team was palpable. With Sosuke Rhodes leading the team, they navigated with ease. Honora Ashe and Luke Cis made up the left and right flank, on look-out and attack for targets. Lang Shun took up the rear, alternating with Sosuke to assist with attacks. They were smooth in their action, something none of the newly formed teams possessed.

They'd been hitting targets and collecting a fair amount of flags by the thirty minute mark. If they wanted to crush the competition however, like Levi would have, they'd have to push themselves harder.

They zipped past the trees and Honora could spot a target to her left, flag intact. But she could see another team coming in quick. She looked at Sosuke. "Target on the left, 15-meter class!" To their credit, they easily shifted directions and went for the target.

"I can spot another team approaching. Do we go for it?" Lang asked before Honora could. At that precise moment, she shifted her gaze to the lance corporal who'd tailed them from the start of the test. He was staring at her, but it then transferred to the 15 meter tall target, an expectant glint in his sharp eyes.

She knew what he meant and she was more than willing to oblige. Luke and Lang were busy looking at the approaching team right across them when she determinedly stated, "I'll take care of it!" Without another word, she descended from the high altitude they'd taken to travelling in trees. Luke and Lang nodded, but they came to a temporary halt as they realized Sosuke had gone after her.

"Honora!" She only had one second to look back at him before painfully slamming into a tree trunk—Sosuke had followed her. She grinned devilishly at him. "Yo, Sosuke! Came to assist?"

There was a chuckle as he came by her side. "We've gotta beat their speed. That's the first 15-meter we've encountered so far. The flag oughtta be worth a lot."

The wind whipped at her cheeks as she nodded. God, this was better than sitting around in a stuffy office all day—she aimed her grappling hooks at a tree trunk across the target and took off with Sosuke at the same time.

The bag of meat that represented the titan's neck was clear in her view as she shot another hook at a spot just above it. She jumped off from the tree trunk at an inhuman speed, her movements barely being registered by the opposing team that had also gotten quite close to target.

But evidently not close enough. She'd beaten them by mere seconds.

"Is this…Ashe?" A man asked, dumbstruck, as one of his wires had suddenly been struck—"Auugh!" he diverted another of his hooks to a higher tree branch to watch Honora effortlessly and speedily cut through the giant bag of meat that was the titan's nape. "Amazing." He muttered under his breath, not concerned by the fact that he'd been beaten to the target. He searched for where his partner may be, finding him hanging limp on another tree branch, his wire also cut.

A blur passed by him, but the man only needed a second to catch the smirking face of Sosuke Rhodes. "Gotcha!" The man watched as Sosuke sailed through the trees, grabbing the flag on top of the target's 'head' with ease.

He grit his teeth. So _he _cut their wires.

Honora returned to where her other teammates were standing, along with Levi. She landed on the oversized branch with ease and sheathed her blades. "How was that?" She asked with a small smile on her face, inadvertently directing the question at the corporal.

If that didn't impress him, she didn't know what did. But that wouldn't stop her from trying.

Lang clapped his hands on her shoulders with a big grin. "That was great!" Even Luke had to admit that watching the fabled Rhodes-Ashe duo was more than just inspiring. Sosuke landed by her seconds later, twirling a red flag—the highest ranking flag, as it had been explained—with a toothy grin. "Let's get going, Team Fight! We've gotta dominate, so shall we?"

Members of Team Fight then nodded at each other, a renewed determination in their eyes. Levi satisfactorily took notice of their sudden, faster pacing in which they attacked the test. This team—Team Fight, he reminded himself with a scoff—would more than just dominate the competition at this rate.

They would positively destroy it.

.

The end of all the tests was a relief for Honora, who'd been around Lang, Luke and Sosuke all day. After the test in the woods they had several more, working well into the hours of the morning the next day to additionally test their endurance.

The rest of the practical tests had to be conducted in teams, to which all the teams for the forest test had to retain groupings. Team Fight proved to be the most successful team yet. They topped the team rankings by a landslide, much to Sosuke's delight, when the team scores had been posted an hour earlier.

And here they were, all four of them crammed into one bench, still resting from the last of the day's tests.

Honora didn't know why they crammed into one bench, but the contact with Luke and Lang, since she was seated in between them, didn't make her uncomfortable as it normally would have. She'd gotten used to their personalities the whole time they'd spent together, no matter how annoying Lang may be.

"Honora, what squad are you hoping to join?" She looked at Lang, his bright red hair and emerald green eyes positively vibrantin the light of dawn.

_Honestly, what is he doing here as a soldier? _She was well aware of the venomous looks she'd gotten from a few fellow recruits when they'd found out she worked with _both_ Sosuke and Lang. Even Honora had to concede to the fact that Lang and Sosuke were visually stunning individuals, still didn't faze her in the least.

But yes, they'd been training until the supremely unholy hours of dawn_. _She yawned tiredly and took off her glasses—a combination of goggles and glasses really, she'd earlier replaced the temples with straps so they wouldn't fall off when using the maneuver gear—rubbing her eyes while at it. "I was thinking of Captain Levi's squad…"

Sosuke, seated beside Lang, grunted. His eyes were closed and his arms folded behind his head; even the usually energetic Sosuke was dead tired. "Everyone wants to go there. I think we've got a better chance of making his squad although." He murmured thoughtfully.

Something heavy landed on Honora's shoulder and it didn't take a second to realize it was Luke's head. She didn't bother trying to pry the dead weight off of her, being too tired. _Luke better be glad that I let him sleep on my shoulder today…_

Lang looked up at the sky. "When you say 'we', do you mean all of us in Team Fight?"

Honora didn't look but she could tell Sosuke had nodded. Their performance was far better than she'd imagined and she was extremely pleased and thankful for their efforts. Thanks to them, she had a real, fighting chance that she'd be put in Levi's squad.

And it wouldn't be an exaggeration when she said she wanted to impress that short man more than anything.

.

**A/N:** We haven't really hit the main plot yet, ehehehe…(dodges thrown objects). It'll be about one more chapter until we get to see Honora in her first expedition by the way.

Special thanks to **Sarafinja, RedMoon18, arrancarstar, Uruvia, Harry Abbot, Tevon Wae, **and **BitCrushe**! Domo~ domo arigato for giving this fic a chance~

To be clear: I wanted this chapter to emphasize the point that Sosuke and Honora are **on a whole new plane of talent** compared to the other recruits. Why? We have to put into importance the power of human resolve—take Honora, who is technically only supposed to be smart, nothing else.

She is no tactical genius like Armin, or a titan slaying god like Levi or Mikasa, but somehow, she scrapes by and tops her class. If she had nothing to drive her she'd probably never even think of joining the military.

Besides, she's _23. _I don't really understand why, but Eren, Mikasa, Armin and a whole lot of other guys are only 15 when they graduate from training. She's technically older than most of her fellow recruits. Which is why I think it's reasonable enough that she'd be as talented as she is.

But more of this in later chapters. I'm sorry for the long author's notes. =P

Please review! I'm eager to hear what you guys think of this story so far. =D But tell me, do you think Honora's actually going to be placed in Squad Levi or is she going to end up in a Medical squad, since that's where she's most likely to be?


	4. Chapter 4: A Soldier's Hopes

"Ashe."

Honora cringed. So much for getting to her first debriefing 'on time'.

"Get over here."

It had been exactly a month since the selection tests. They'd spent the past weeks being trained in the ways of the Scouting Legion—tactics, formations, procedures. Three days before, she was overjoyed when she finally found out that she actually made Squad Levi.

In fact, even Sosuke and Lang had made it. The only person from Team Fight that didn't was Luke. And he was carted to the next best squad, anyway. Captain Mike Zakarius had to be better than this germ phobic…irritable…

She stopped her hateful thoughts. The only reason why she was being so prissy was because of her lack of energy; that was no real reason to suddenly start hating on her captain.

"Captain." Dead tired as she was, she pulled an admirable salute. It seemed like she was always tired these days.

Two days into his squad. Two days and she was already pushing herself over the edge. She caught the barely contained laughter of Lang and Sosuke—Aren't they just the best friends one could have?—and she scowled. "You're late for debriefing." Her captain hissed and it made Honora want to look away in shame.

She was an upstanding soldier. She knew it. But if that was so, why was she performing subpar than her usual standards?

_Because I'm fucking dead tired. _"I apologize, sir." Honora kept her face as stern as possible. His sharp blue eyes passed over her form; for a moment there she thought he was going to order her to run laps. But instead he said nothing as he continued the debriefing of their squad's duties that day.

It surprised her that she'd been assigned to do nothing—she quickly found out what that meant when the small meeting ended. She was about to go when Levi called out in his normal, stoic tone: "Ashe, you aren't off the hook."

Lang and Sosuke gave her their customary goodbyes with a snicker. She turned away from them and approached her impatient captain. "Yes sir?"

Levi crossed his arms. "My office. Now."

Honora nodded. A few minutes later, she wasn't surprised to find that his office was no bigger than Erwin's, having only a desk, a couch, and a small table with a chair pushed into the far corner of the room. And of course, the place was obscenely clean.

He motioned to the tiny table that looked like it could barely fit a normal-sized human being. "Sit." She awkwardly went over to the corner, banging her elbows on the wall behind it more than once. It was a good thing she was small—a person as big as Sosuke or even Lang would've broken the chair down with their weight.

Out of nowhere Levi produced a stack of papers. He dropped it on her tiny table. "Sort this. When you're finished, place it on my desk." He said with a stale tone.

She nodded, loyal as ever. Though to be fair, even she wasn't looking forward to sorting paperwork. Hell, Honora didn't even know the people of the Scouting Legion had to do _pap_e_rwork. _Something as mundane as signing papers wasn't usually associated with the only military division that faced the titans on a regular basis.

Yet she sifted through the papers listlessly. It didn't matter that the most powerful captain in the squad scrutinized her every move, she had to sort these damn papers before he snapped.

An hour had passed and she had successfully sorted everything into four stacks according to urgency. She chanced a glance at her captain who was sitting behind his desk only a meter away, reading a book. Was this how captains spent their time when they weren't on expeditions? She piled the stacks crisscrossed so she would know where to separate them and slowly moved over to Levi's desk.

It was peaceful, she absently mused, when they weren't trying to stay alive while battling titans. When was the next expedition? Not like she was looking forward to it…but if it gave her a taste of what the titans were like, then she would have to brave it.

"Oi, Ashe." She snapped out of her reverie. She was embarrassed to find that she'd been standing in front of her captain's desk for more than a few minutes with probably the most zoned-out expression he'd ever seen.

She colored immediately, trying not to look her captain in the eye as she moved to arrange the stacks on his desk. "Sorry sir." She distractedly said underneath her breath. _What the hell is wrong with me? _

His gaze then turned intent.

She may have been off doing who-knew-what during the nights; hence her less-concentrated-than-usual state. He reminded himself that something had possessed him to pick her for his squad. He had seen the ruthlessness, the skill, the willpower that made her even remotely qualify for his standards.

She was no teenager that decided to join the military on a fucking _whim_. She was 23 years oldand now part of his squad. But if she wanted to keep it that way then she had better stop reporting in looking like the walking dead.

"Captain, your tea…" He uninterestedly looked at Lang, another punk he had added to his squad, who just come in. He was capable, not nearly as capable as Sosuke or Honora, but capable. He wouldn't piss his pants even if it was because of his cocky attitude. And god knew how much he needed those kinds of people on his squad.

It wasn't the Special Ops Squad for nothing, the brats that wanted to join his squad should know. He took a sip of the tea Lang brought in.

He put down the teacup immediately. He directed his distasteful gaze at Lang, who redirected his to Honora on seeming reflex. "This is water, you idiot. Ashe, teach Shun how to brew some damn tea." Honora nodded, taking the tea cup. Her expression was thoroughly obedient—though he could detect a hint of annoyance directed at the red-haired idiot—and walked out of the office, Lang in tow.

"How can you _not_ know how to boil leaves?"

He quickly tuned their voices out. Minutes later, Honora returned with a cup. She set it down in front of him and turned to look away, but he knew full well that she was gauging his reaction as he set the cup to his lips.

It was satisfactory; Honora had probably brewed it herself. "You bring my tea in instead of Shun." He murmured and she nodded. He set the cup down, but his gaze remained on her.

She was hyperaware that he was staring at her, and it made her heartbeat speed up at an unnatural pace. She struggled to control her breathing—she couldn't look her captain in the eye lest she screw up right in front of him. Why was he staring so intensely?

"You look like shit, Ashe. Whatever it is you're doing at night that's worth missing sleep, I'm ordering you to stop. I won't tolerate shitty performance either."

While in no way has her performance ever been shitty _yet_, it was a warning. Honora nodded stiffly, wondering if she could be able to do just that.

.

At dinner that night, Levi observed the faces of his squad. They were seated at a table right next to Hanji's squad of psychos, eating dinner. There were five of them all in all, excluding him.

Sosuke Rhodes, Honora Ashe, and Lang Shun, the newest additions. He'd watched them during their selection tests, and their performance was acceptable enough. Sosuke and Honora in particular had managed to rise above his usual notions of 'brats who can't handle themselves' by going to 'brats who can somewhat handle themselves'.

But they'd have training tomorrow, and he'd further test just how much he could push them.

.

Lang, Sosuke and Honora listened attentively to their two senior squad members—Axel Beltran and Frantz Gallahan. They were teaching the three of them tips when battling titans, and the junior members didn't demur in taking note.

Despite what the three junior members thought, they were relatively close in age. Axel and Frantz were the same age, 26, while Sosuke, Honora and Lang also shared their age, which were 23. Frantz was more than happy to teach them the secrets to "surviving out there".

"If we're fighting titans on flat land, do you guys know what to do?" Frantz asked. He had a friendly demeanor, with short, spiky brown hair and matching brown eyes. He looked at Honora and Sosuke, expecting them to be the one to answer.

Axel, on the other hand, was a different story. He had a frosty exterior, long, silver hair tied back and even colder gray eyes to boot. He regarded the new recruits indifferently, "You'll hardly survive out there if you don't."

Honora shook her head, mildly tired with Axel's inadvertent insults. "We do, actually."

"And we'll be more than happy to demonstrate—" Sosuke started, but things had quieted down once Levi arrived with harnesses.

"You three," He threw down the equipment. "You're taking a test. You may have gotten into my squad, but I won't allow some piss-poor fighting once we're actually out on missions. Get your gear on."

They arrived back minutes later, stances stiff as boards but armed to be ready as they listened once more to their captain. "As part of my squad, you're expected to be faster, stronger and smarter than normal soldiers. Don't meet up to that and I'll kick your face in."

Levi nodded to Axel and Frantz. The two senior members immediately went to explain what they were going to do—after all, they'd gone through the same type of hell when they themselves had been put into the squad for their first time. Once they'd finished, predictably, the reactions of the three junior members were nothing out of the ordinary.

"WE'RE _**WHAT**_!?"

Even Honora couldn't believe it. She clenched her fists in disbelief. _How the fuck are we even supposed to win against those odds!? _

Sosuke continued with his outburst, however. "YOU _**CAN'T**_ BE SERIOUS-!" Lang laughed nervously and draped an arm around Sosuke, who had taken to yelling in front of Frantz's face. "C-calm down, Sosuke…"

.

They were once again within the forest of giant trees, zipping past oversized branches. Honora, Sosuke and Lang had slipped into a kind of grave, concentrated silence as they navigated in a small triangular formation with Honora leading this time.

Their test was simple: take as many flags as you can within an hour. It was somewhat similar to the test they'd taken a month before; the only difference was that they only had to take flags, though they'd been stuck in the most random of places within the forest.

Also that to win, they had to beat the rest of Squad Levi. The captain himself included.

"There's no way we're going to win this…" Lang groaned. True, their chances were small, considering that Honora, Lang and Sosuke were green and had no experience compared to Axel, Frantz and Levi.

But there was a spark of determination in Honora's eyes. "Do you actually believe in that, Lang?" She snapped.

The redhead was obviously taken aback. "Having poor chances isn't an excuse for giving up. Whatever happened to fighting, or Team Fight for that matter?" Honora looked back at Lang and gave him a deadpan expression. "Because _I_ will never stop."

That seemed to perk up the dreary atmosphere. Sosuke laughed uproariously while Lang returned the grin. Realizing that they'd reached the center of the forest, Honora stopped and perched herself on a high branch as her teammates then did the same to trees in opposite directions. "We'll have to do better than average if we want a better chance at winning. We split up now. Search the higher places first then the underbrush. Clear?"

"Crystal!" With a nod, the remaining members of Team Fight took off to their assigned search areas.

.

Honora had been earnest when she said those words. She wouldn't stop fighting, whether it be for herself or to impress her captain. If it was one thing that her captain did not tolerate, it was shitty performance.

And shitty tea.

She steadied her weight skillfully as she reached out oh-so carefully with an open palm. She clamped it shut once she felt the texture of fabric upon it, taking yet another flag for Team Fight. She shifted her weight once again to swing herself away from a tree trunk and shot a hook at one of the branches not too far, spotting another flag.

As she felt herself being pulled toward the flag, her heart stopped as she saw another figure approaching, dangerously quick.

_At this rate we're going to collide…! _Honora aimed a shot at a different tree branch, abandoning the flag. She watched the figure—quick as lightning and spinning like a wheel, take the flag. She gasped as it passed by her like some unstoppable force unknown to man.

In a flurry of cloth the spinning slowed and it revealed her captain, a sick smirk on his face as they both made eye contact. "That was piss-poor, Ashe." He taunted, before taking off.

By the end of this interaction, Honora had been staring at the hands grasping the handgrips of her 3D maneuver gear with a clenched jaw. _Piss-…poor?_

She grit her teeth. "What the fuck does that even mean!?"She muttered angrily. She stood up, nearly stomping her boots on the oversized branch she'd managed to redirect herself to. _He'd known he'd be too fast. We weren't even going to collide because he knew he was fast. _

If it was also one thing Honora knew about herself, it was that she wasn't "piss-poor".

Without another glance at where she'd last seen her captain, she took off. She marveled inwardly at how amazing he was, and since he'd so generously demonstrated his technique in front of her…

She smirked and drove herself as hard as she could into the task masterfully mimicking Levi's manipulation of the 3DM gear.

.

It was sunset when they'd ended. Honora dumped all of the flags she'd managed to collect right next to Sosuke's and Lang's, which was 18. Put together with Sosuke's 14 flags and Lang's 11, they had 43 flags in total. Much more than any of the three expected.

Searching the higher branches had been a pain, what with having to dodge all of the stiff tree branches and the awkward angles that the flags had been put in. Now, all she wanted to do was sit down a moment. Which she did, on the grassy path leading to inside the giant forest.

She was abruptly pulled up moments later by her arm. She hissed in pain, but held back a more vehement protest once she recognized Sosuke had done it because their captain had finally arrived. He looked to be in a good mood—considering his face held none of its usual annoyance and only looked bored.

"The three of you lost."

_Sadist. You're a sadist, captain. _A corner of her mouth twitched, no wonder he was only bored. But as she stared at her captain again, she realized he wasn't finished.

With a drab tone he continued, "You punks pass the test either way." And there it was.

Honora silently sighed in relief. The two idiots flanking her, Sosuke and Lang, burst into shouts of joy, doing small victory dances, while Honora remained stationary and bowed her head. Frantz congratulated them and even Axel offered a small smile, forgoing his normal mask of indifference.

Levi watched his squad interact with crossed arms. He was satisfied, to put it bluntly. He didn't mention it, but those three had actually come closer to beating them than any of the previous times he'd imposed the test on his squad. He wouldn't put much stock in Sosuke, Lang and Honora in future expeditions if they hadn't.

He looked up from his position, instantly finding _her_. Her head was bowed as Frantz and Sosuke clapped hands on her shoulder, but Levi could see why.

She suddenly glanced up and they made eye contact—her face harbored a cocky smile before she turned away.

.

Honora knocked on her captain's office. There was a "Come in" and she opened the door, finding his office as clean as two days ago. Even the stacks of paper resting on his desk were orderly. She approached her captain who was bent over paperwork.

"Captain." She greeted with a measured tone, extending his customary tea. Eventually she knew, she would get used to bringing him tea in the mid-morning and afternoons. It wasn't as hard as Lang claimed to boil leaves.

He reached to grab the cup by its rim, and took a sip of the tea he was beginning to become accustomed to. They made eye contact once again, and this time, Levi caught the snide glint without a second glance.

He put down the cup in his hand. He waved to the stacks of paper placed on the left of his desk with a smirk on his face. "Ashe, make yourself useful." He observed her reaction and was pleased when she nodded without a single word, taking the papers in her hands and doing the same thing she'd done two days ago.

_At least she doesn't look like shit today, _He said to himself, observing the way she'd carefully brushed her hair and tied it back again. The bags under her eyes had lightened somewhat in color and her complexion had gotten better as well.

It slightly amused him they way she'd painfully—and quite loudly—bang her elbows on the wall behind her and only take it with a slight scrunch of her nose, or when she would accidentally knock down the papers she'd managed to stack with another slip of her elbow and respond with an inaudible growl. She was obviously tortured with the small workspace yet she shut herself up like a mute person.

But he kept those thoughts to himself as he had another sip of his tea.

.

**A/N: **I can't wait to write the next chapter, 'cuz that's when Sosuke, Lang and Honora are finally gonna meet the titans. Teehee.

**Sarafinja **– Me too. But I think I'd enjoy Honora being in Levi's squad more than anything, 'cuz that way Levi could taste Honora's tea. =3

Special thanks to **LilLaoRyo704**, **SUPAfast** **JeLLyFisH**, and to **animefangirl0219**.

Well, waddaya think!? Are Sosuke, Lang and Honora gonna piss their pants when they meet the titans at last!? Please review!


	5. Chapter 5: Her Mettle

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Training had gone on for the next three months—it was more rigorous than usual, since it _was _the Special Ops Squad and its captain _was _Levi. The little time that the recruits were given was shortened even more as a result, but Honora paid little mind to it.

What better way to spend time than to prepare for battling ravenous, merciless and mindless beasts that satiated their hunger by only devouring humans? Honora had gotten used to life at the Scouting Legion already: it was difficult, it was backbreaking, but the knowledge that they were doing this for the better of humanity gave her some reason to put up with it.

With a pondering expression, she brewed tea for her captain. She'd correctly predicted when she would eventually get used to doing so; and in all frankness, it was something Honora enjoyed discreetly. She got up from her place in the kitchens and made the short walk to her captain's office.

"Captain." Truthfully, the process didn't really need such formalities anymore, but Honora was a sore stickler for the rules…and she just couldn't see herself barging in her captain's office without a word.

There was a muffled grunt in response, and she took it as her cue to come in. She walked straight up to his desk, piled with papers and Levi working laboriously over them.

"Your tea." She said. She had to bow her head over to hide her slight smile with her hair. It always amused her to see one of humanity's most powerful soldiers bent over something as dull and mundane as _paperwork_.

And whenever she got this smug satisfaction—which was almost every day, considering she always brought him tea—he'd always be there to punish her for it.

Unwittingly, Levi did not enjoy having to sign papers either, but having Honora smile like an over-exuberant child did not sit well with him. He glanced up from the paper he'd been reading, _god he hated having to do such useless shit,_ and accepted the tea she had brewed for him.

He sloshed the green liquid in his cup for a moment before downing it. It actually tasted fine, to be honest. He looked at Honora, and seeing the ghost of a smile twitch at the corners of her mouth, he waved to a stack at the left of his desk. He'd learned to always give her the job of sorting paperwork the first time she did it for him simply because she was more efficient than the rest of his squad.

Like always, she took it with a nod and sat at the desk on the corner of his office. _Her_ desk, considering she was the only one who had used it in a long time.

They worked in silence for an hour, no sounds except for the flipping of paper and the occasional scratching of Levi's pen.

There was an abrupt scrape of wood, and Levi glanced up from his work. Honora stood in front of him, an unsure expression on her face. It made him want to arch a brow; he thought Honora always made sure to compose herself—clothes, hair, expression, _everything_—in front of superiors.

It was with a smirk did he realize that last thought. He remembered a memory of having to order her to clean herself up simply because she looked so distastefully messy_. _Of course, she never again wanted to experience the horror of embarrassment because of him.

"Captain, I…may not be able to attend this afternoon's training."

His gaze then settled back to his work, only minimally interested with what she had to say. A miniscule nod from him made her continue.

"I've been requested to spend the afternoon with major Hanji…" She trailed off uncertainly, gauging his reaction, like a child waiting for punishment from their parent when they admitted something that would not altogether please them.

Levi wasn't displeased in the slightest. He'd gotten used to the certifiably insane titan researcher years ago. What irked him was the special interest she'd taken in Honora, something along the lines of, 'We'll spend a lot of time together, yes? Oh! It's going to be much more fun and easier having her around…especially for experiments…' and he certainly knew what that meant.

She had made it clear enough the first week Honora had been in the Scouting Legion in the rare times they'd spend together along with other commanding officers: Hanji had hoped Honora would agree to be another titan researcher or at least be her aide, and this was her way of asking.

Having to deal with one madwoman was enough. He didn't want another, especially one that was actually _in_ his squad. Levi already felt that he was close to wringing someone's neck when Hanji was around, and he was certain he'd actually do it when there were _two_ of them.

"You're excused." He said flatly. There was a slightly relieved statement of gratitude from her before he waved her off. She went to leave and he was prepared to say nothing more, when he stopped her at the door of his office.

The muttered words had escaped his lips before anything else. "Don't turn into a psycho."

He covertly looked at her and noted the way her shoulders trembled slightly. He realized that she was chuckling, and was about to go back to work when she unexpectedly replied: "Will do, captain."

Of all the times that lunatic could whisk away Honora, it had to be the day before the expedition.

_Curse Hanji and her insane experiments. _

.

Dinner was another rowdy affair for the squad.

Sosuke, Lang and Frantz were all normally chatty people anyway, and Levi always contributed to the conversation, whether it was through actual statements or sharp remarks. Honora would usually talk as well albeit a bit more reserved, and Axel…was Axel, but even he would be listening intently to the conversation. The squad had progressed into more familiar territory with each other now, after two months of grueling training together.

Sosuke, Lang and Frantz had decided to do improvise a scene that night. Hence the rowdiness. Even the soldiers from the other tables had taken to watching. Axel read a book at the end of the table, though he was just as amused as everyone else was.

"Will my husband ever return from war?" Sosuke called out in a high-pitched voice. Obviously mimicking a woman, he reached out to grasp Lang's cheeks from his seat across where Sosuke had sat. "Will he ever hold me again? Will we ever—"

Lang pretended to look intensely into Sosuke's eyes as he put on a love struck expression. "But darling! I'm right here!"

Sosuke shook his head vehemently. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and faked a cry. "Oh, the pain! Oh the agony! Return to me, my love!"

Axel stifled a laugh, digging his nose into his book, but the soldiers around him burst laughing. Frantz, sitting beside Sosuke, swung an arm around him. "Don't worry, I'll be here, I'll take care of you and we'll have a passionate affair, Sosu…I mean Jennifer!"

Lang looked hurt. "Don't you dare, uh…Jennifer! I know you love me!"

Laughter ensued once again, but it had stopped abruptly. Predictably, the higher-ups had arrived, including the Special Ops Squad's leader. He approached the table, and while the three men had stopped their scene, their expressions made it clear enough on what had transpired. They all greeted Levi respectfully, and he nodded as he sat down.

He said nothing and merely sipped his tea. The conversation began to pick up.

"Anybody know where Honora's gone to?" Lang asked, scanning the rows of tables, but not finding the sandy haired woman anywhere.

Sosuke eased back into his seat, his expression turning thoughtful. "I haven't seen her all day, either. I'd thought that she'd be back by now, but obviously not."

"She's with Hanji and her squad of freaks. They're probably turning her into a freak too." Before they could cast surprised glances at what Levi had said, they were distracted by the arrival of Honora.

She looked tired as she sat in between Lang and Levi, the former looking at her concernedly. "Honora, you look like you sat through an entire sermon of one of those wall cults." He joked, but Honora's tortured expression indicated that it had the opposite of the desired effect.

"Never…again…" She muttered to herself, taking off her glasses and setting them in front of her. She rubbed tiredly at her eyes. "I asked about the titans."

Frantz shook his head. "Best not to ask about those kinds of things, especially with Major Hanji…honestly, she gives me the creeps."

Honora ignored the second part of what he'd said, but gladly took the first as advice. "Trust me; I know well enough not to do a stupid thing twice."

"Did you accept her offer?" Levi asked, not minding the confused glances of his squad. Honora pursed her lips, gripping the glasses she'd taken off in her hand for a moment. The way he'd asked the simple question made her ponder her decision, but she knew without a doubt that she wouldn't take it back.

"…Yes." There was a nod from her captain, nothing else. But his gaze had sharpened infinitesimally, and for the first time without her glasses, they locked stares. His sharp blue eyes bore into her own neutral gray ones, as if silently reprimanding her for such a decision, but he looked away before Honora could read into it more.

Silence settled on Squad Levi, but not for long. Frantz had returned with food for the whole squad—how he balanced all those plates on his body was beyond Honora, she didn't even notice him leaving—and the talking resumed once again, though more sedately.

Once the meal had finished, Levi addressed his squad with a critical eye. "Remember tomorrow's procedures. I want a clean expedition, and I don't expect any of you to die." He gazed at all of them hardly. "If you're smart, you're sleeping the whole night." This last part he inadvertently directed at Honora, and he'd actually seen the blank look that had crossed her face before she'd nodded.

.

"Wow…we're actually facing the titans tomorrow." Sosuke said absently as they walked back to the barracks together. He was dressed casually, as they all had been for dinner, wearing a loose white shirt and a pair of slim trousers. Honora honestly thought he dressed too fancily for such simple dinners, but she thought nothing of it. _Once a pretty boy always a pretty boy._

Truth be told she was feeling just as apprehensive. She had no idea how the next day would turn out, and did not like not knowing. She felt exposed, open to attack, and probably just as much as everyone else.

Nobody liked having to fight the titans. But that didn't mean they were excused from having to. "Believe me, Sosuke, I don't know what to think either." She muttered, feeling uneasy with just how vulnerable she felt.

Honora liked to stay on top of things as much as she could. It helped with the practical and methodical way she dealt with those things; it eased her mind to know what to expect, which was partially why she agreed to being a titan researcher. Honora was convinced that if she knew everything there was to the titans, it'd help her the next day.

Because truth be told, she wasn't sure if she was even going be alive when it ended.

Sosuke stopped her from walking straight into a tree. "Woah Honora, you were close to messing up your face there." He said as he relaxed his grip on her shoulders. He studied her carefully—she was probably weighing things out in the way she always did, probably even doubting her capability to survive.

"Don't worry too much," He murmured softly. "Even captain Levi thinks we're all going to make it."

That seemed to snap her out of her thoughts. "True," She conceded reluctantly. If a veteran titan slayer thought she was ready, then…

He fixed the awkwardly dangled glasses on her face. "We're going to live, Honora. Believe in that." He intently gazed at her, and his glassy, ocean blue eyes then settled on her. Honora wanted to flinch with the way everyone seemed to stare at her that day, and she was briefly reminded of her captain's sharp, unforgiving eyes during dinner.

"A-alright…" They were at the end now; the path split into two, one leading to the women's barracks and the other to the men's. His gaze turned soft and he gave a small wave of goodbye. She mimicked his actions.

_We're going to live, Honora. Believe in that. _

Somehow, she just couldn't. She found it difficult to sleep that night, her tossing and turning disturbing the woman who slept a bunk on top of her.

For some unknown reason, the image of the colossal titan she'd seen months ago retained in her mind. It was vague when it appeared in her dreams, barely a humanlike head with no skin and all muscles, but it grinned down on her, just looming above Wall Maria. She felt scared out of her wits.

_What the fuck is wrong with me? _She shuddered, eyes wide open in the dark. Realizing it was futile to sleep with that…that abomination lurking in her mind, she sat up from her bed and donned her glasses, heading straight for a place where she knew she could pass her time without much thought. She'd always been there every night since recruitment—that was until Levi had ordered her to stop.

As much as she was a stickler for the rules, as much as she was all for being what an honorable soldier should be, as much as she was for always following orders obediently, she forgot everything when she walked in the darkness of the night, shadowed by thoughts of the titans.

She'd heard stories of course. Painfully detailed accounts of what those sick bastards were capable of, all from Hanji's mouth the moment she'd asked about the titans. The way they ate their prey without a single thought, the way they unhesitatingly just ate all the fucking humans they could. Disgusting. Mindless. But most of all, terrifying.

Would she become titan food? Honora didn't know. Was that why she was so fucking scared?

She chanted under her breath. _You're a good soldier. You're a good fucking soldier, Ashe. _

But it didn't help with her insecurities this time. She'd never know if she actually was a competent soldier, would she? The words seemed empty, because the only way she would ever know was by facing the titans. Training was very different from facing real monsters.

And gods above, she was terrified of them.

She could distinguish the brightly lit medical lodge by then. She could imagine the smiling face of Nick Reens, the head of the medical squad, an old friend of her father's and only recently her, who always met her with a friendly smile. He was reluctant at first to accept her help, but once he'd realized that she'd go there every night, only wanting to help, he welcomed her openly, warmly.

They hadn't talked in a while, she realized, but she knew he would greet her back with a chuckle and a smile, like he always did—

Honora had been about to step onto the stairs leading to the lodge's doors when something had pulled her by her collar, and for one horrified moment she thought it was a titan.

"_You're _a fucking _idiot, _Ashe."

And that was all it took for her to realize that she wasn't in a field of monsters, that she wasn't getting devoured, that she was safe for now, that she was there, with her captain hissing in her ear. She was whirled around by a painful hand on her head, but she didn't mind at all, she was relieved more than anything that what she'd imagined wasn't reality.

Her frantic eyes then found her seething captain, his anger coming off of him in waves, but his face remained impassive as ever. It was when she caught his eyes that she realized how furious he was.

"And I thought you were _smart_," He hissed, "You, more than anyone should know how important getting sleep and not spending the night helping out in the fucking infirmary is!"

Honora blinked distractedly, only coming to grasp just how angry Levi was. "I…"

"You what? Do you want to go out and face the titans while feeling like shit, Ashe? Because that's one surefire way of getting eaten."

She blinked owlishly. Voice barely above a whisper she asked, "…How did you know I'd be coming here, captain…?"

He narrowed his eyes at her behavior. Her normally steely gray eyes were dulled, as if she had finally accepted defeat to something he didn't know. "It didn't take me long to figure out what you've been doing during all those days you came to assembly looking like a corpse. Considering you're the daughter of the king's doctor, where else would you feel useful?"

Honora said nothing as she bowed her head slightly, looking away from him. There was an annoyed sigh from her captain. "Get back to sleep. If you really think you're pathetic, ask yourself why you're still in my squad."

Her eyes sparked brilliantly at what he'd said, but she refused to meet his eyes. Her brows furrowed and she bit her lip—the first time she'd ever done that in front of him—before nodding tersely. "Yes sir." She murmured.

He watched her turn and, hopefully, head back to the barracks.

Levi had waited all night for her to turn up. _Hanji's been stuffing shit into her head without a doubt,_ he thought to himself, which was why he'd ended up standing two hours, waiting. When she arrived for dinner that night, she was disturbed. He could tell. Every time the titans were mentioned during the meal, her eyes would dilate with pure _fear. _

But he still stood by what he'd said earlier. He really believed that Honora would do fine the next day.

Come back alive, at the very least. Alive, but not unscarred.

.

The air the next day was filled with so much tension it was suffocating. Honora dressed quickly, though not without care. She had learned to appear neat at all times, a lesson she'd learned the hard way through multiple embarrassments caused by her captain.

She wordlessly ate her breakfast before setting out to pick her horse up—Epona, she'd named the cream colored horse. Not very original, but it was the only name she could think of that would suit the horse in a short amount of time.

She led her to a small, grassy field where she proceeded to let her graze for a while. She joined the rest of her squad, hunched over plans. Her captain was nowhere to be found, but she attentively tuned in to what Frantz and Axel had been discussing before her arrival.

She thought nothing of what had transpired the night before. Believe it or not, the words he'd spoken to her last night had been enough to calm her.

_If you really think you're pathetic, ask yourself why you're still in my squad._

With those words in her mind, she set out with the rest of the Scouting Legion in their expedition, a little more fire in her eyes than usual.

.

They rode through previously human territory inside Wall Maria, all abandoned now and inhabited by the titans. Honora knew that the Long-Range Scouting formation she'd help develop would be of no use here; there would be little room to maneuver in with buildings everywhere.

They stuck together instead. It was a risk, but they had no other choice if they wanted their soldiers not getting lost in the complicated layout. Their objective was clear enough: scour the territory, determine the density of the titan population. It was a straightforward mission. They'd avoid all he titans they could while they made a covert check on how many of them were actually inside the walls.

Honora felt anxious but prepared; so far they'd encountered none. Sosuke rode beside her and to her left was Lang—her captain obviously knew which people she worked with best, and she was grateful for it.

If worst came to worst, then she'd at least see both of them before she'd die.

But she wasn't planning to, she determinedly told herself, as two titans were spotted in the distance. Honora gazed at them as a squad was dispatched to clear them when they got too close.

_Huge. Tall. Horrendously grinning like the sick bastards they are. _A small squad of four took out the two grinning, 6 meter classes. Those from the Scouting Legion were pros at titan combat, Honora remembered with a spark of pride. Anyone else would probably have been shaking in their boots.

While they travelled through titan territory, Honora began to take note of everything they'd encountered: which were titans, at least 13 of them. There were no titan nests or anything else she and Hanji had been hoping to find; the expedition lent no more knowledge than previous ones.

They reached the outskirts soon, which was surprisingly still part of their scouting area. Here were the villages that were spread out sporadically, squads had been assigned to assess the titan population within them.

Squad Levi headed southwest to a farming village. There were a few huts and such, but it was clear the titans had been there. The pools, splatters and trails of blood everywhere conceivable was more than a grave reminder of that fact.

"Axel," Levi commanded stonily, "Take note of the titans we encounter."

"Yes sir."

Their pace had slowed drastically, allowing ample time to cautiously survey their surroundings. The squad was quiet as Honora observed the way the huts had been minimally damaged.

_Strange. _

"Rhodes, Ashe, Shun, scout the perimeters of the village. Return here after twenty minutes. Should anything happen, Ashe, take the lead." The three new recruits who desperately wanted to test their mettle looked at each other, sharing silent bids of 'we can do this' before answering their captain.

"Yes sir!"

.

They rode quietly around the borders of the village—it wasn't terribly big, but large enough to make Honora nervous about how much space there was in between the three of them and the rest of their squad. There was a small forest just near it, and she gazed intently at the woods, as if anticipating a titan to spring out of nowhere.

"Any abnormalities?" Honora asked with a measured tone. She peered into the darkness of the forest, trying to make out anything that seemed even remotely out of place.

"Nope." Sosuke replied, a tight undercurrent to his voice. Even he was nervous, it seemed.

Lang shook his head. "N-none on my side, either…" Great.

Everyone was jittery.

Honora took a moment to calm herself and then scanned her surroundings. "We should calm down a bit."

Sosuke nodded, and there was an agreed silence whose only sounds consisted of their deep breathing. It disappeared later, and they settled into a heavy silence as the three sensitively took in their environment.

"Twenty minutes is up," Honora said, checking the skies for signal flares. Thankfully, there were none. "We should start heading back."

The other two silently assented with nods and they hastened their pace back to the center of the village.

_It's almost done. _

_Peaceful. Relatively peaceful for a first expedition. _

Ah, but fate had to be a sadist and fuck shit up for her.

"_**Aberrant!" **_

Honora snapped her gaze to Sosuke, then to the—what the fuck?

_That speed's too quick for a normal titan!_

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Honora shifted her gaze to Lang who seemed dumbstruck. "Lang, a flare!" She ordered hastily.

"R-right!" It was too late. It was near, dangerously near, and there would be no time to avoid it. Honora assessed the titan, another 6 meter class, she thanked her luck. It was already a big enough disadvantage that they were on flat land.

It was hastily approaching on their right. "Sosuke! Get ready to help me kill this titan!"

Said man looked back at her and she could see the fear in his eyes. Before she could take them back, she had already blurted, "We're going to live, Sosuke. _**Believe**_ in that!"

The flare had been shot. But there was no reply from Sosuke. Honora pursed her lips.

"Speeden up our pace!" They travelled even faster than before, and the titan was directly behind them.

She once again looked at Lang who looked just as apprehensive as Sosuke. "Lang, be prepared to be titan bait! Sosuke, follow my lead!" Lang drew in a sharp breath, but he nodded, convicted. She looked at Sosuke, and gave him a sad smile. "Let's hope this works! Shall we?"

He nodded, still verbally unresponsive, and they split from Lang, who kept his course. The titan seemed more interested in Lang, thankfully, and followed him. Honora and Lang regrouped behind the speedy titan.

"Take his Achilles tendon, will you? I'll aim for his neck." She said. It bothered her that Sosuke still said nothing, but she couldn't afford to focus on that right then.

If she failed, she'd have to think of something else before the titan could catch up to Lang and gobble him up. But she didn't have the capacity for a contingency plan just yet—she was wholeheartedly driven on destroying the fucking aberrant with one hit.

One hit was enough. Should be enough.

_I won't tolerate shitty performance either._

To her surprise, it was Sosuke who hit the final nail in the titan's coffin. "Ready, Honora?" He asked with a smirk, and she realized she had her old partner back.

"Ready."

With a puff of air, Sosuke was off his horse, shooting through the air like a bullet aimed at the titan's foot, and with a clean slash, the titan was sent stumbling face first into the ground. Lang had managed to duck out of the way just in time.

Only one thing remained on her mind: _**Kill**_**.**

She aimed a hook as good as she could at the fallen titan's nape. With a jump and a boost from the compressed gas, she was sent soaring up the sky.

Three years and that one moment in the forest with him. It all amounted to this.

She drew her blades before spinning herself like a top. She'd practiced so many times she might as well have called it her own style.

With a new might she found in herself, she came down on that titan with more force than she'd needed, but made it all the more satisfying. Her blades cleanly cut the mound of muscle on the titan's neck. There was a splatter of blood, but it quickly evaporated on her green cloak.

She straightened herself up as she sheathed her blades. Honora scanned for her two teammates, and found them with her horse. She joined them quickly. Without another word, they made their way back to the middle of the village.

She hadn't expected it to be so quick. But then again, if it hadn't, it would have been more terrifying having to kill a slow-dying titan.

The rush of adrenaline was still fresh in her veins. She was breathing loudly, she knew, but she _had _just done her first kill.

She realized with a start that both her teammates were staring at her. "What…is it?" She asked quietly.

"Where'd you learn to fight like that?" Sosuke asked, still taken aback by the way she'd taken out that titan with that spinning move—fucking amazing. Sosuke was always aware of Honora's progress since they spent so much time together, but this tremendous leap in skill was something he hadn't known.

But childishly feeling like it was a well-kept secret between her and Levi, she didn't answer him.

.

They returned back to inside the walls without another hitch. That was the first and last kill Honora had done that day. She was grateful for it.

She acknowledged the fact that she was actually capable of keeping her head in place while facing a titan and actually killed one—she acknowledged it wholeheartedly. But she wanted nothing more than that. Her fifteen minutes of glory were over once she'd seen the amount of casualties they'd sustained. Less, considering previous circumstances, but casualties were casualties. They didn't get better even if there were fewer of them in number.

She could kill a titan without a doubt, but somewhere along the lines, someone else was getting hurt. That thought didn't comfort her in the least.

They arrived soon enough and Frantz and Axel caught up with Sosuke and Honora, who'd been just returning to their barracks.

Axel and Frantz had predictably come out unscathed, it was Sosuke and Honora (and probably even Lang) that didn't.

"Heard you guys faced an aberrant," Frantz murmured, observing the sullen duo. "But it looks like it turned out well, right?"

Sosuke pointed at Honora. "She killed it." He said disbelievingly, as if he still couldn't comprehend what she'd done a few hours earlier. Frantz looked at Honora, whose expression only contained indifference.

The man gave her an awkward pat on the shoulder. "You did great, kid." There was a forced smile on her face as she bit back, "I'm not a 'kid', Frantz. We're only three years apart."

He chuckled. "I know."

Silence once again. Honora left, feet changing course suddenly and unwillingly taking her to her captain's office. She knocked on the door.

There was a muffled grunt, and she came in with her head bowed. Luckily, her captain was not facing her, but instead, looking out his window, sipping tea.

Tiredly, she asked, "Permission to be an idiot, captain?"

He sipped his tea. "Your choice. We have the day off tomorrow."

"I think I will, sir." She moved to leave the room, but her captain had stopped her once again.

"…Your stupidity can wait. Brew me some tea first. Shun is shit at it."

Honora couldn't help but suppress a chuckle at his insistence for decent tea. And while helping out in the infirmary—because they always seemed to be perpetually understaffed—was not stupid either, she smiled at his words.

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**A/N: **I'm bushed. So tired. It's 11:50 and I have class tomorrow. What a pain in the ass.

But I promise to fully thank all of those who have reviewed, favorite-d and followed this fic in the next chapter. All I really want right now is to rest. _**YOU GUYS ARE STILL SERIOUSLY SO NICE. **_

I'm curious if I can get more reviews, albeit. Could we…try?


	6. Chapter 6: A Day Off?

This a late update? Sorry. I got sidetracked by school. XD

But wow! 29 favorites and 61 follows! I never thought I'd get that far. Thank you so much, everyone. =D

Oh and yes, Petra and the others will be joining. Not anytime soon, though. Probably 3-5 chapters later? I dunno. I put this fic pretty far back into the timeline (5 years to be exact) and I'm still deciding where the pieces should fit.

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Honora had never slept so deeply in her life.

When she woke up, the sun was already high in the sky. It had a radiant glow as it casted light down on her face—it had to be noon by that time. She rubbed at her eyes, irritated at the offending rays.

She got up from her bottom bunk. She was surprised that she had even made it back to her bed last night, considering she'd been so tired after spending the night helping out in the infirmary. She checked the top bunk but found it empty; her roommate must've already left hours ago.

Honora walked up to the window right beside the bed, yawning as she scanned the grounds of the Scouting Legion. There were a few soldiers here and there talking leisurely in casual attire and she suddenly remembered that she had the whole day off.

She blinked. _Whole day with nothing to do…?_

Her mind was completely devoid of any idea on how to spend it. She'd gotten used to the non-stop training and duties of a soldier and needed a considerable amount of time to switch back into a civilian lifestyle even if for only a day…_Oh, what the hell. I can always go ask Sosuke. _

Shrugging, she indifferently dressed herself in a knee length white skirt, a matching button-up shirt, a blue cardigan and a pair of simple, black shoes. She aimlessly wandered to the mess hall, which was deserted save for the kitchen staff.

She got her food and sat down on the far end of a table, letting her mind drift.

Three years had gone by her like a blur. In three years, she had done things she'd never thought she'd ever be doing. In three years, she had gone from being a useless researcher in a government funded organization to being a soldier.

When she considered that thought, her mind went silent. She was a soldier?

_Yes, I'm a soldier. I can use the maneuver gear expertly, I can kill a titan, and I can sort through paperwork like a machine. _

She ate her (by then) brunch idly. The sounds her spoon and fork made when they made contact with the tin she ate in seemed to remind her of just how quiet the mess hall was when it was emptied of the normally rowdy soldiers. Where had they all gone?

_Back to their families, maybe. _

With a blank face she looked out the window next to the table, staring at nothing in particular. Her eyes glazed over.

She had no family.

Her mother had died after she was born and her father died years ago when she was 18. She had no brothers or sisters. In three years, she'd faced life while sparing little to no thoughts about her non-existent family. Yet the closest thing that came to it was Sosuke.

A small smile twitched at her lips. In three years, she'd met Sosuke and had become friends with him. After that, she recalled two other people she'd gotten significantly closer to because of him—Lang and Luke. She remembered Team Fight with a fond expression on her face, a quick, fleeting sense of content going through her. She was glad to have met them.

If anything, meeting those three meatheads eclipsed the loss of her family any day.

Honora didn't know about Lang and Luke, but she wondered if Sosuke had also left. She recalled him mentioning once that he had a brother and sister back at his hometown. If he did then she'd have to think of something else to do for the day.

Her thoughts were interrupted by another person setting down a tray full of food next to her. She turned her head to her side curiously, but shock overcame her when she realized just who she was sitting with.

"C-commander Erwin," She stuttered. He gave her a smile, and Honora blushed lightly. He was dressed in a pair of black pants and a white button up shirt. The sight of him in such casual attire startled her.

"Hello, Honora." Erwin said. "We must've woken up at the same time to both be eating right now." She gazed down at her food. Even the commander had his own all-nighters to pull, it seemed.

"I suppose so." She murmured.

"How did you find yesterday?" He asked in a gentle but curious voice. Honora pulled a contemplative expression.

_It wasn't bad, _were the first words to come in her mind. Yet that was because she'd only come face to face with one titan. It may have been an aberrant, but it was nothing on what real war with the titans was. One look at the wounded soldiers in the infirmary, or see how many had died, or to even recall the look of pure terror on Sosuke's face when she told him they'd have to battle a titan that day was enough to think so. Honora's head wasn't shoved up so far in her ass to give such an insensitive answer.

Sensing her silence, Erwin shook his head. He knew she'd made one kill yesterday and he felt the little touch of pride that she herself didn't. "Well, I heard from Levi that your help in the infirmary yesterday proved to be a great help." The lance corporal's words were actually far from those—_Reens is so useless that he has to rely on a fucking fresh graduate's help_—but Erwin knew his meaning.

Honora looked down again, her face coloring once more. She knew that those were not the exact words either, considering that when her captain talked it was usually insults that came out of his mouth rather than compliments. Judging from the sincerity in the commander's tone she was assured he wasn't lying. "Really?"

He nodded, wordlessly tucking into his meal. She did the same, though with a faint dusting of red on her cheeks. Coming from Levi, it certainly meant a lot to her. She didn't know why, but it just did. Maybe it was because she had come to respect him greatly—

—_In three years, I've gone from calling him 'Shorty' to 'Captain'. _

Oh, did those three years change her.

Their meal passed in comfortable silence. Erwin declined her offer of tea after they'd finished, claiming he had things to sort out as commander. She saluted him before he left, earning a chuckle from her commander.

Currently, she was sitting in the same chair she'd eaten in, table cleared of her food tray. It had only been a few minutes since Erwin left and Honora sat, thinking of things she could possibly do when Luke, Sosuke and Lang weren't around to drag her to some ridiculous occasion.

_I could go to a government library and read. _But somehow, stuffing her nose in a book didn't seem all too appealing at the moment. Going back to the infirmary was out of the question despite the fact that she wanted to return so badly—Nick Reens had forced her out last night, saying that she worked herself to the bone and would only get booted if she showed up there the next day.

She wasn't really expecting anyone else to be around, so she was surprised when for the second time, the chair beside her had been pushed back for someone to sit in.

Two cups of tea followed. A hand held one out to her.

Honora looked to her side. She found her captain in a plain white, long-sleeved shirt and a pair of black slacks. His face held a hint of expectation in it, and she found herself accepting the cup.

"Captain," She bade. He set next to her wordlessly. "…Thanks." She said as she drank the tea he had prepared for her.

"Not going home today?" He asked in his usual tone. She'd once wondered how he managed to sound bored and derogatory at the same time, all the time, but she just gave up on the thought as easily as it came to her.

It was just his way. She learned to not be insulted by it; instead she even found it amusing_. _Such a hurtful personality for someone so small... "There'd be no one to come home to." She said, not finding the thought as depressing as it should have.

He glanced at her briefly before turning away to sip his tea in that peculiar manner he always did. "Oh? Not busting your ass helping the infirmary either?"

She wanted to smirk at his words. Which she did, but expertly hid behind her teacup. Honora secretly found herself questioning why he always seemed so scathing when it came to her helping the understaffed infirmary. Did he have a special thing against medics? "They'd kick me out even if I wanted to."

"Tch." He said, clearly annoyed. "Figures."

"Captain…" Levi looked at her. His blue eyes held its usual sharpness and saw right through her—the effect was always the same. A shiver ran up her spine. She drew a thin breath. "Why are you here today?"

He looked back at his cup. With a slightly more-pissed-off-than-usual voice he said, "There's still some leftover work to do from yesterday."

_Paperwork, he means. _Of course, she was starting to pick up on his working habits. He was usually very efficient and especially when it came to deskwork that he probably detested the most, he would get things done very quickly._ He _always _leaves that out for last. _Honora unconsciously quirked a smile. "Would you like h—"

She was cut short by the third sudden arrival of that day. "Hoooonnnoooraaa~"

Levi downed the rest of his tea before standing up abruptly. "C-captain—?" He also cut her off with a brusque nod and left without a word.

The familiar, bespectacled titan researcher approached the sighing soldier. She blinked at the momentary confused expression on Honora's face. "Eh? Something wrong?" The two had gotten friendlier with each other after spending time together as fellow titan researchers two days ago—Hanji had even insisted that she called her 'Hanji' instead of the 'Major Hanji' Honora would've always called her.

Honora shook her head, ridding herself of her amused smirk. _Is Hanji really that good of a repelling force, captain? _A warm smile took its place, directed at the eccentric woman. "Nothing."

Hanji patted her shoulder. "What do you say to spending the day with me? We're going through yesterday's reports!"

_In three years, I've met a true eccentric who also wants me to be an eccentric. _Her life couldn't get any better now, could it?

The 23 year old nodded. _At least I'd have something useful to do. _"I don't see why not." Hanji grinned.

"Good! Let's get to the lab then!"

.

Honora shuffled through the reports of each of the squad leaders from yesterday's expedition. She didn't know that the Legion even had that many squads. There had to be at least 7 stacks nearly 12 inches high piled on the lab counters.

She read the next report: _2 titans encountered, South district. 2 titans dispatched…_She shifted her gaze to Hanji who had dozed off an hour ago. They'd both been collecting data from the reports for nearly 5 hours already, but it seemed like they still had a mountain-sized stack of papers to read, dissect and analyze.

_How tiring. _In all honesty, it was even more tiring (in the sense it was much more boring) compared to work in the infirmary. Her back ached from being hunched over papers for too long and her eyes were drifting shut every now and then. She'd nearly nodded off three times, and in two of those three times did she slam her head on the hard, stone counters. There had to be bumps on her forehead somewhere.

At least at the infirmary she had to run around gathering supplies to treat the wounded soldiers and whatnot. There, she had to sit over papers, read them, write notes, re-read them, _rewrite_ her notes to make sure she didn't miss anything, read undoubtedly lengthy notes and figure out just what the heck did the lines of near-gibberish mean. Did Hanji have to do this every time they went on an expedition? No wonder was she power napping right now, and to a further extent, no wonder did she ask Honora out of the blue to be her "researcher's aide".

_This must also be why captain hates paperwork so much…I'm lucky to only have to sort it for him. _Again did her thoughts go back to her captain. It was becoming a steadily increasing occurrence and Honora didn't really want to know what it meant. She didn't know whether to welcome the change or to reject it either.

"Hanji…" She moved to wake the red-haired woman up but thought better of it. _She needs her sleep. _She instead arranged the things on the countertop as well as she could.

Right then, her stomach grumbled so loudly it might as well have woken Hanji up—but thankfully it didn't—and Honora giggled. That was as telling a sign as any that she needed to eat dinner. She quickly scribbled a note telling that she'd left. Hanji had told her earlier that she was welcome to leave at any time she wanted to anyway.

Honora made her way to the mess hall, still finding it surprisingly empty save for Levi sipping tea and reading at the table their squad usually sat at. She grabbed dinner and sat at the seat next to him. She watched for his reaction when she did this, but found none.

She ate her meal quietly. She made a pot of tea when she finished and sat next to him again.

They said nothing for a while. He held out his own teacup and she filled it easily, glad to have anticipated that. They drank in silence, as if in some silent understanding that tea time was quiet time for him or that he just wanted nothing more than to quietly sip his tea like the elegant bad-ass he was after a day of signing papers. Honora wanted to smile at that thought.

Perhaps she wasjustgetting to know her captain better.

A full half-hour had passed when Honora stood before nodding at Levi with an impeccable _I'm an idiot for doing this—but that's just what you say _smile on her face. He understood instantly; she was heading for the infirmary.

Perhaps he was just getting to know this idiotic recruit better as well.

Levi could easily see what was going inside that stupid head of hers. He could tell her thoughts; he couldn't exactly place just why she was so bent on going to the infirmary and subsequently run herself dry.

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**A/N: **Shorter than usual, my apologies. But I decided this chapter was necessary, so yeah.

I'm wondering if I portrayed Erwin in this chapter in an OOC way, but the way I see Erwin is that while he's stern and strict and stoic and capable throwing away his humanity, there's this side to him that's shown when he mingles with the soldiers entrusted to him in the Scouting Legion, as evidenced when he talks to Mike and Eren. Bwahaha.

I'm so sorry if I'm going to disappoint anyone when I say that it'll be a while until we see some more canon characters. Really, I'm sorry. This is where my plotline shall stay for now. =P

Thoughts? Comments? Btw, I'm thinking of writing a Sinbad/OC (from Magi) or a Sebastian/OC (from Black Butler) fic soon, but I'm not sure. Opinions, anybody?

Please review as always! I was stunned at how many people responded to the last chapter. Thanks so much.


	7. Chapter 7: The Oncoming Storm

Okay so I realize that my updates have become bi-weekly now and I'll apologize if you guys were expecting anything else. Life has become…well…hectic. Ideas for this fic don't flow as well as they used to, I'll concede to that.

Also, I've noticed that this story's been added to a community! THANKS SO MUCH **maid** **in** **time**! Check it out. It's called **OCs** **Against** **Titans**.

Thank you, everybody who has put this on their follows/faves list! It means a lot to me. Thanks also to the reviewers! I've taken what you've said into consideration too.

There's a little information regarding the Sinbad/OC fic that I've put a lot of my thinkin' time to on my profile, by the way. Thanks for the suggestions, it was much appreciated. =D

Here's Chapter 7. Haa, it's a little more of Sosuke/Honora time, depending on the way you look at it.

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There were two knocks on his door. The lance corporal didn't even bat an eyelash at the intrusion and instead continued reading the book in his hands. Levi had already known it long enough to be Honora's knock—the two sounds were gentle but firm at the same time.

"Captain,"

Levi grunted and the door swung open. Honora strode in, hair severely pulled back from her face in a chignon and face measured as ever.

She handed him his usual cup of tea and he took it without looking up. She went to sit in her tiny desk and chair to wordlessly begin the day's share of paperwork. A single glance at her general direction told him to have new furniture moved in; Honora looked barely comfortable in the claustrophobic corner he originally gave her.

_Tch, what am I saying. She works like a machine no matter where she works. _

He flippantly returned to reading.

Levi wasn't being sardonic. He was just stating the obvious.

From those times he would observe her, usually it was behind the pages of a book he'd be reading or a cup he'd be drinking, Levi could classify her behavior into those of the more pragmatic, work-oriented type. It seemed that she could separate her private life from the life she shared with those around her—though Levi could barely imagine what her private life was like. Or if she even had one. In fact, the last time he'd seen her spend her days off _not _in the infirmary, _not _in a library or _not _in the lab with Hanji was…well, never.

Not that he was paying particular attention to her anyway. He scoffed to himself.

_She just makes it so obvious._

Levi sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Did he really care at the moment? Honora was just another squad member. A particularly competent squad member but a squad member nonetheless. He didn't have to care about such things unless it got to the point of it actually getting in the way of fulfilling duties. And knowing Honora, it wasn't likely that was going to happen.

She made an interesting soldier. She really just did.

With a flick of his wrist, he carelessly turned a page of his book.

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Honora shifted slightly from her sitting position. She sat on her haunches, dressed in nothing but a white blouse, blue sweater and a gray skirt, as she tried moving most of her weight on to one leg. The bespectacled soldier sensed that she was already losing feeling on her other leg.

"Stop moving."

_Easy for him to say. _She gave a light huff and turned a baleful gaze at the man who sat across her, seated comfortably on the roots of a tree he currently rested under. His eyes were shut and his mouth was upturned in the most infuriating smile ever. "I can't feel my leg, Sosuke."

Another day off. Luck would have it that he decided to stay, though if he insisted on her sitting like this the whole time, it might've been better if he'd left.

_Honestly. My legs…_

Like sensing her thoughts, he drew open one eyelid that revealed a mirthful ocean blue eye. "Bear with it a little longer then."

Honora sighed and looked away. She gazed at the view the hill they'd found looked over; it was really a beautiful sight, not too far from the Scouting Legion's compound. Below the hill was just a vast field of vibrant green grass encircled by the forest. A gentle breeze blew slightly with the wind.

Unbeknownst to Honora, Sosuke had already lifted both his eyelids to stare at her fully with a warm smile.

He traced her features with his eyes, finding her usually measured features softened at the moment. Her lips were drawn in a small frown, her brows were furrowed and the way her eyes crinkled at the ends gave her a whole contemplative expression.

It was near gentle. Sosuke found himself wanting this side of her displayed more openly. Some people might have called her pretty, other people might have called her striking, but never beautiful.

_If only they could see this._

She twisted her head to meet his distant gaze with an amused expression splayed on her face. He found his own smile broadening.

"Sosuke, you look too happy for your own good. It's making me nervous."

He chuckled. "Can't deny that."

Her reaction delighted him more than it should have. But there it was. It was so light, his ears strained to hear it, but it was actually there.

She was laughing.

"You should do that more often."

Honora quieted in her laughter but not without a slight tilt of her head, like a curious bird. "Do what?"

"Laugh."

Uncharacteristically, she gave him a mocking smile. "That depends."

Damn it all. Sosuke would easily call her beautiful with the bright twinkle in her neutral gray eyes and that smile on her face. "Since I make you laugh so much, you should keep me around more often."

"I'm not getting rid of you that easily. I know. Stop reminding me, please?" Honora questioned with almost warm exasperation.

He grinned. "I thought we're already over that?" He offered in agreement.

"Yes, yes. Now stop reminding me." Sosuke looked at her with a petulant pout. She sighed. With an irritated tone she asked, "What is it now?"

He looked away for a moment, but the pout disappeared and was replaced by another easy smile. "Nothing."

Honora arched a brow at his unusual behavior—but what did she expect, this was Sosuke Rhodes, paragon of unpredictability—then she pursed her lips. The way he responded to her laughter was a little disconcerting. "I laugh too you know."

It was his turn to raise a jet-black brow. "Really? Who do laugh with? Let me guess," He pulled a deadpan expression when he realized. "Yourself. You laugh with yourself."

There was a frown on her face. "I laugh with Hanji….sometimes."

Sosuke wanted to laugh at her suddenly concerned expression. "Honora, you're supposed to laugh with people. To be a human being that functions normally?"

"Laughing by one's self is not abnormal, excuse you."

A chuckle escaped him. She however, was not amused by it. Sosuke sobered. "Laughter is supposed to be shared with people. I mean, don't you enjoy laughing with me?"

Honora shook her head. The sudden memory of her laughing in the presence of her captain—the day before her first expedition, she could recall—was brought to the forefront of her mind. It made her uncomfortable.

"Of course I do and of course I know that." There must've been something wrong in what she'd said when she noticed Sosuke shaking his head.

"Then you admit to the fact that _not _sharing laughter…like when…let's say, laughing by yourself is technically not correct?"

"I laugh around you, Lang, Luke and Hanji."

Sosuke gave her a closed-eye smile. Maybe he wouldn't win this fight yet. "I guess that's enough."

_I just want you to do it more often. _

Silence ensued but neither of the two noticed, lost in their own thoughts. It was when something wet had dropped onto Honora's hand did she notice the lull in the conversation.

She brought her palm closer to eyes, surprised when the drop was followed by another. She turned her head to the quickly graying sky.

Drip.

Drip.

Drip.

A smile found its way on her face, remembering the fond memories the rain brought with it.

And Sosuke was aware of that fact, judging by how he reacted next. He grinned knowingly at Honora, knowing she enjoyed the sudden shift in weather.

"It's going to rain."

She shook her head. "I know."

"We should head back."

"I know."

Sosuke shook his head, allowing his friend to sit in the light drizzles. It had been, after all, far too long since the last time it rained.

.

As it rained outside his dreary office, Levi immediately noticed the change in Honora's behavior the next day. The time between her two knocks had considerably shortened, that was the first thing he noted.

The second thing was the distinct sweetening in his tea. Though Honora's face betrayed no sort of emotion she did not usually display since it was its usual impassive mask, the moment he sipped his tea he knew something was different.

_Nobody _messed with Levi's tea. Especially not the tea he always had Honora prepare for him because, as it were, he actually liked the way she brewed it. And Honora herself knew this.

He narrowed his eyes. What would make her deliberately sweeten his tea when she knew it was perfect the way it was? Something was amiss.

Levi watched as she gathered her stack of work to do but he did not miss the wistful look she sent towards his window as he did so. Nor did he not notice the peaceful look in her eyes as she did her work. She was so…relaxed, compared to previous days. Just as efficient, but relaxed. It aroused his curiosity more than he'd care to admit.

He once again looked at the empty cup he held. He'd downed it unthinkingly but realizing that he had actually gone on to drink the tampered substance made him impulsively question her. "Honora."

Her first name on his lips was enough to make her stop stacking the papers she'd sifted through. Her mask slipped in genuine bewilderment. "Captain…?" _He's never called me by name before. _

It was a thing he hadn't done with her before, he acknowledged that fact. Her name slipped. He wouldn't take it back now. "Is something wrong?"

She seemed to have overcome her confusion because she looked down on her lap in a conspiratory glance. "No." _He knows. _

Levi growled. "Then why does my tea taste like—"

"—Like it has sugar in it?"

_No, like it has shit in it. _He deliberately ignored the fact that she'd cut him off. With his sharp gaze, he practically willed her to explain herself though without the use of words.

"I…just like the rain a lot, sir."

The words came out with a hint of warmth. Like a person recalling times long past, a fondness for an event that could never be repeated. Needless to say, this side to her surprised Levi infinitesimally. He nodded, determinedly unconcerned, and let her resume her work.

When she finished, she stacked the papers upon his desk once again. "I'll be leaving now, captain,"

He stopped her before she could leave. "Honora."

Her mask had regained its position on her seemingly indifferent face, but there still remained an unguarded gentleness in her peaceful gray eyes that was unknowingly open for him to read.

"I don't expect to see your ass in the infirmary today. Remember what tomorrow is." It came out heedlessly cold and callous but he couldn't have her running herself to pieces when there was an expedition the very next day. He did _not _want a repeat of what had happened last time.

With those words did he watch the rigidity come back to her, the way she straightened her back. The way she tilted her head and her glasses caught what little light the rainy day offered. She pushed her glasses back up the bridge of her nose and it got out of the light's way once again, revealing a pair of unreadable gray eyes. Gone was the gentleness as she nodded wordlessly, leaving his office with stiff steps.

Levi didn't care, he told himself. But why did he feel regret when he saw the warmth leave her eyes?

.

The next day came. With it was an overwhelming urge to perform perfectly. Another mission, another encounter with the titans, another test of strength. It was how Honora looked at it.

She could understand why some of her fellow recruits felt apprehensive about it—she didn't deny the fact that having to face the titans was no mean task and was probably the most horrible job she could have landed herself with.

But she was a soldier. _They _were soldiers. If they didn't come to terms with the responsibilities that hung grimly on their shoulders then Honora didn't know what to do. It was much more practical to just accept things for what they were, in her mind. Emotions couldn't get in the way of something as important as serving humanity.

True, she could have felt every bit as distressed, nervous, and uneasy as the rest of them. Yet Honora _wouldn't_ and _couldn't_ afford another display of weakness similar to the night before her first expedition.

She had learnt her lesson then.Levi's words and barely controlled anger had made the message loud enough.

_And yesterday…_

Gods above, she didn't even want to talk about yesterday.

_Just because it rained. _

It was such a sickening display of weakness. And in front of Levi, no less. He was stoic all the time, he never showed any emotion and he was strong for it.

What a mistake on her part to make. Honora had been lenient with the leash on her emotions that day—all because of the rain—and inadvertently showed more emotion, more familiarity than she would have liked. What was she thinking, dumping sugar in his tea? Telling him of her penchant for the fucking precipitation?

_He doesn't care about those things. He's a captain for fuck's sake, Honora. _

A mistake. _What a mistake. _

That day, most of the Scouting Legion assembled in front of the gates at the Trost district, on the south edge of Wall Rose. It offered one of the shortest routes to relatively dense titan-occupied areas, according to the information they gathered on the last expedition. A crowd of people had appeared as well.

Honora hefted herself on her cream-colored mare and rode to where the rest of her squad was, navigating through the different squads. The people that had gathered strangely said nothing as they watched the Scouting Legion prepare to leave the safety of the walls yet again.

She'd heard stories of the spiteful whispers the people gave whenever the Scouting Legion left through a major district—Hanji had plenty to tell, after all. The tales of Hanji Zoe were something that was regaled time to time when Honora spent hours working in the laboratory with the titan researcher.

In light of recent accomplishments, public opinion had considerably shifted with regards to the Scouting Legion. It was with obvious scrutiny did the gaunt, haunted faces observe the soldiers who risked life and limb for them. They kept a miserable gaze that seemed to tell 'the food shortages are killing us—don'twaste our taxes when we could spend it on food'. Least to say, it only served to thicken the already heavy tension in the air.

So far gone in their hunger were they that it even left no energy to say a word to the soldiers who could very well become titan feed. Even in her desolate mood did she notice the crowd's silence.

_The shortages are becoming worse. _

Finally, she reached her new position in the Special Ops squad that flanked her captain. Honora glanced at Levi through the corner of her eye, wondering how he dealt with the unusually quiet atmosphere but not feeling any particular courage to look at him fully.

She privately thought about how he felt towards her uncharacteristic display of emotion yesterday. Was he disgusted?

His face betrayed no emotion. He looked straight ahead but she caught how his eyes briefly wandered over to where she rode beside him. "You're late," He stated casually though he had dropped his voice to a whisper.

Ignore the quickly mounting miasma of anxiety in the air. Ignore the condemning stares of the people. Ignore the graveness of the situation.

_You're late. _She repeated it in her mind.

He nodded at her but his eyes lingered on her face more than necessary. Honora was quick to notice this though with slight unease. Levi arched a brow at her.

A smirk appeared on his attractive face. "It isn't raining today, Honora." He commented airily.

_There's no reason for you to look so dazed. _

She nodded, her mouth forming a little 'o'. He turned his head away, but his eyes still remained. A moment later, he was staring in front of him again, smirk still in place.

The tension in her shoulders left and the tight grip she'd kept on Epona's reins slackened. Her jaw unclenched and she found herself taking one deep, big, breath. 

_He isn't disgusted. _The thought reassured her more than anything. _He's smirking. He's even smirking about it. _

Whether it was a conscious decision or not, the corners of her mouth tugged upwards. "I apologize, captain."

"Make sure it doesn't happen again."

"Understood."

.

**A/N: **There's a lot of insight to Honora's character this time. I hope it isn't too confusing. :/ But the next chapter? A lot of things will happen. I guess.

You can accurately guess that Honora is a raindere. I wonder how most of you are going to react to that? (A slip of the hand, by the way. Honora is kooky to put sugar in Levi's tea and Levi's kooky to put so much importance on boiled leave on the first place.)

I also realize that the structure here is partly compare and contrast of opinions. How Levi sees her vs. how Sosuke sees her. And it's more than obvious Sosuke's view is well…flattering. It can only be so because Honora is more than willing to openly display her emotions in front of Sosuke. Tee hee.

Thoughts? Comments on the raindere revelation? Please review~


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